


Never Far Away

by Jafndaegur



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: A little bit of slap stick, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Drama, F/M, Goblin! AU, Goblin: The Lonely and Great God - Freeform, Humor, Inspired by Goblin (K-drama), It's gonna hit you like a truck, Like from the k-drama Goblin: the Lonely and Great God, Lotta drama, Magic, Major canon divergence, Modern AU, Really really slow burn, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn, but also supernatural, bwahaha, everybody ends up dying, like boi get ready, major deaths, minor deaths, severe angst, sort of slice of life, witty humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-01-08 21:21:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 37,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12262320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jafndaegur/pseuds/Jafndaegur
Summary: The great and powerful Taiyoukai finds himself cursed, becoming the entity "Goblin". As the centuries pass by for him to suffer, he realizes only the Goblin's Bride can free his curse. A time traveling miko who seemed to flit in and out of his life like the falling sakura blossoms. But who knew she was never far away from him to begin with.





	1. Stranded in the Meido

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to thank everyone who follows me here, who is reading this story. I'm very grateful you have stayed with me. Please be patient and hopefully this story will help me segway into me writing and updating more fanfiction!  
>  Takk fyrir, lovelies!

** Prologue **

Time yielded cruelness almost as much as one such as he. No one could stand parallel to either. Yet here he stood amongst his enemies, both his Sword of Heaven and his own sword drawn. Who would have guessed so much had passed since the demise of the Shikon no Tama. One would think he would have found his conquests in peace. That, he, the Great Lord of the West would find no hitch to his plans. He never had before.

But to be surrounded by the Lords of every other territory-North, South, and East-he could feel as though this had been planned.

"Lord Sesshomaru, we have come to bring an end to your tyranny," the Lord of the East, a female youkai, spoke. Her long blue hair wavered down the sides of her shoulder while she herself, tightened the straps of her armor on her shoulders. "This rule you've held has gone along far enough."

The Inuyoukai lifted his brow, not allowing any other response to their disgusting accusations. They did not deserve any other reaction.

With a sigh, the Lord of the North, one of the dragons, stepped forward. His eyes held a certain amount of haze to their dark green depths. That was strange for one of their kind. But it seemed harmless enough. The dragon's black hair seemed familiar however, the kinked curls and the greasy texture-the Western Lord had seen it before. He dared not presume the likeness, because there should not be any correlation between a spider and a reptile.

"Sesshomaru," the dragon hissed with an easy going tone. "Be reasonable."

The dog demon would hear nothing of it. Mutiny among the lords irritated him to no end and the fact that it was restlessness towards him agitated him furthermore. His grip on the handles of his weapons tightened even more.

"You have all upset this one," he snarled, his gold eyes narrowing. "I have ruled no less cruel than my father did."

The smell of heavy herbs upset his nose and he covered it with the sleeve of his kimono. Wafting through the air, stringent streams of dark green aroma settled like miasma. He blinked in confusion when he realized that both the Lords of the North and the South had opened large jars of poison. As if they thought that had the power to stop or slow him. The effort was almost cute.

"We have sought help, Sesshomaru," the Lord of the East snapped, her war fan waving back and forth as if to dispel the pungent scent from her direct proximity. "And he will take you down. We are only in tow to help."

"Was it this fool's idea?" snorted the taiyoukai, his lip lifting in a dark smirk.

"No, it was mine," the northern lord's face seemed amused as he pulled a third jar out from behind his back. The lid popped open with a snap and a new wave of poison flushed out into the air. "The rule of the Inus has stretched long enough. It is time for a new reign, a good one, my boy. Your family is simply not cut out for it."

"Then who, who would possibly be stupid enough to face off this Sesshomaru to face your will?"

"Why your brother of course," the Lord of the East purred, watching the dog demon's unwavering stoicism of facial expressions.

 _Inuyasha?_  He lifted his lip up into a smirk.  _Surely they jest._ "As idiotic as the hanyou is, he would dare not fight this one under the commands of someone else. He would do so solely for his own pleasure. Especially since you see it fit to destroy the Inu reign."

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" the Lord of the North gestured behind them where a figure stood, his face partially covered by a taijya's mask and his eyes enveloped in nothing by red light.

Sesshomaru frowned. That may have been the body of his half-brother, but that was not him. The hanyou, while often gave in to wanted tendencies to fight, had settled their qualms when the miko wench that followed him around disappeared into the well after the fight with Naraku. Seeing his brother standing with Tessaiga drawn told him that this was coercion.

"Inuyasha, you let this sniveling creatures control you?" He egged, he knew that persuading the ego of the half-demon would be the only way to bring him back. At least the way he could. If he remembered correctly, the human girl that traipsed around the whole of Edo with Inuyasha could often appease any negative effects to his seemingly unguarded mind.

Taking another step closer, Inuyasha growled at the lords-they stepped back.

Standing toe to toe, the siblings glared at one another. The crimson and blue eyes of the hanyou told the full blooded demon that his brother was not in control of himself. Whoever it was that had possessed his mind this time must have done something to threaten the half-demon. While he was rash, he would not actively seek him out. Not like this.

"S...sesshomaru…" croaked Inuyasha in a voice so low, it sounded more like a growl than a name. "R...rin...safe…"

Sesshomaru furrowed his brow, eyes dubious. "What do you mean Rin is safe, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou snarled and swung his sword, the large demonic blade sending a gust of air past him. What surprised the taiyoukai was no incantation followed the blow. It was not unknown that the half-demon would often scream out the intention of his attack. Either the strike had been feigned to look like an actual one, or Inuyasha had finally mastered the art of finesse.

When the taiyoukai's feet did not touch the ground and darkness surrounded him, however, he realized that he had made a mistake. His senses had been dulled by all the smoke on the area, he had not been aware. A rumbling growl escaped his throat as he raised Tenseiga to try and counter the attack. But with a wail of wind and a sudden snap of all light, he was enveloped and encased in nothing but pitch black. Air fled from his throat and it felt as though wet cotton had been placed to his nose, his eyes, and his mouth. He had not taken the most tactful approach to the situation. That was unlike him. And now Sesshomaru was stuck.

Stranded in the Meido.

* * *


	2. Tokyo

**Chapter One**

It did not take much for Kagome to fall into a residual schedule of repetition. In fact, it took her much much shorter than she had expected. Every morning she awoke, stumbled off the edge of her bed, tried to forget the feeling of what waking up to the touch of grass beneath her feet felt like, and wandered to the bathroom to wash up for the day. She would dress herself, eat the food her mother prepared for breakfast, and the head out for school with all her friends. It was so provincial, it physically hurt her.

Pavement.

Cars.

The high glassy buildings that so well defined Tokyo-and not Edo.

These things that used to interest her, that used to make her feel as though everything in the world was fine and dandy because the world was  _developed_ , it all felt like some sort of lie now. She had seen the world in a new light. She had loved that world too.

But now it was gone from her.

Two years ago, the Bone-Eater's Well had sealed when she made the wish on the Shikon, a wish for that damned piece of crystal to be destroyed from the earth forever. And with the very reason she traveled five hundred years into the past gone, it seemed as though the streams of time no longer had need for her there. Everyone, everyone she cared for, she hadn't been able to give a farewell...she could still see Inuyasha's face as he was pulled away from her, pushed away by the well's magic back to the time in which he belonged. It was so unfair.

So, so unfair.

"Kagome, it's almost time for school, sweetie!" her mother's voice lilted up the stairs from the kitchen and into her room.

A soft sigh of frustration escaped the miko's lips and she winced. Every day it became a little more difficult to find a reason to continue her never ending cycle of  _wake-school-home-sleep_. She just wanted to stay beneath the sheets, enjoy the warmth and comfort that they had to offer...surely that could not have been too much to ask at least that.

"Kagome?" Her mother's voice, just as sweet but if anything a little more firm. "Are you up dear?"

For a moment, Kagome closed her eyes, and returned to the world of Edo, Japan. Trees danced in the wind, and a song of youkai played a haunting tune. Her friends wave at her from a hilltop that overlooked the well, and they called out to her. Inuyasha leapt into the air, a smile on his face to meet his best friend. Shippou even followed him, his little kitsune feet eagerly flying over the ground to meet her. Both Sango and Miroku waited patiently, amused smiles on their faces as they watched on with almost parent-like expressions. As she was greeted by her loved ones, the familiar youki of another Inu, a dragon, and an imp brushed against her reiki and told her that she most certainly was in the Sengoku period—Sesshomaru watching his western lands with care.

The silence that hung in her room only lasted a moment before she opened her eyes and sat up, her palm resting against her forehead.

"Yes mama, I'm up," she called back.

And her schedule thus began.

By the time she rushed down the stairs, tugging her blazer over her sweater in a most unceremonious manner, Mrs. Higurashi already held a bento box neatly wrapped and stood by the door patiently. Giving her mother a sheepish look, Kagome walked over to the door and slipped on her school shoes, shouldering her backpack before reaching for her lunch.

"Packed you a little extra something, since you didn't make it in time for breakfast," the older woman smiled gently and placed a light kiss on her daughter's cheek. "You know what they say, breakfast is the most important meal of any day."

"You don't think that's just silly nonsense, do you, mama?" Kagome laughed, her head shaking as she took her meal.

"I just want you to do the best you can dear, so if breakfast helps, breakfast it is." Mrs. Higurashi tilted her head and placed her finger on her cheek. "Oh dear, I just remembered, do you mind picking up Sota from school this afternoon? He said he wanted to go shopping for that little girl he likes so. Will you go with him? Pick up some groceries for me while you're out, the fridge is running awfully low."

With a small, loving sigh, Kagome could not help but nod and return her mother's kiss on the cheek. "Of course, mama."

"Excellent."

With a wave goodbye and a rush out the door, the miko set out on her way. Her legs ran as fast as they could down the stairs—skipping a step every now and then to gain a bit more speed. When she sped away like such, if she pretended, it almost felt like she and her hanyou were hurrying through the forest. And while it was more the concrete jungle than the Inuyasha Forest she so loved, it was still such. That thought alone made her day that much more bearable.

Cars zoomed along on the street parallel to the sidewalk, students and ordinary work folk walked alongside with her-the mundane start of her day began. Chatter and squabble surrounded her ears, and honking and ignition to car engines did too. Her head tilted down and she once again tried to remember the serene quiet of the Edo period.

She started, suddenly, her reiki flaring violent for a moment. Youki brushed past her in a rough, coarse manner, as if the owner of the aura did not realize she was there. Her eyes frantically searched the area, swearing she saw the disappearance a figure with white hair disappear into a book shop. Immediately Kagome swerved off track and rushed into the store, looking around for any sign. The desk clerk looked at her in confusion, and when the girl blinked and realized she must have been imagining things, she offered a quick apology and stepped out of the shop. A person may be easy to mistake, but she could have sworn she felt a demonic energy—and that was much harder to feign. When she began to truly question what had left her miko powers in such disarray, the first school bell echoed from four blocks ahead. All thought on the matter dropped as she took off and raced toward school, white hair and demon might momentarily forgotten.


	3. Human and Kitsune

**Chapter Two**

Time pained everything it touched.

As old hands held Tessaiga, a silently prayer was whispered on the lips of a devotee. She knew that she alone could not free the prisoner of the sword, and she knew that if this did not work, her body would be overwhelmed with electrocution of demonic power. But it was worth every amount of pain if her plan worked. It had to work.

It had been too long with him.

Her tied back, gray hair wavered in the nighttime breeze along with the buckwheat flowers that surrounded her. She lifted the sword the same way she had seen the hanyou do it so long ago. She could not remember when she last saw him either. Rumor had it that he returned to the forest where he haunted it until he went insane. No one knew for sure. Perhaps when this was all done and said, she could go try to help him too. It would be worth a shot.

Old eyes watched the blade, waiting for any sign of the powers that were to come. And she saw nothing. There was nothing. Her eyes watered and her lips trembled.

She had failed. Because she was human, she had failed her lord.

"Rin."

The voice was pitying her and she felt her temperament spike. Turning around, she met the gentle gaze of a kitsune. His green eyes watched her with care, while he kept his hands hidden within the sleeves of his hakama. Three long tails wavered behind him in the wind as he watched her. When they had first met, he had been nothing but a kit, tiny and small. But growing and learning with other kitsune-as well as training with both her lord and the hanyou-had sculpted him into a strong adolescent indeed.

"Shippou, I couldn't do it," she the tears in her voice rather than felt the droplets of water fall onto her cheek. "Rin thought today would finally be the day. It was too much to hope."

The youkai watched her with a sigh before he shook his head. "It was not too much to hope. Here, let me see the sword."

Rin hesitated for a moment before handing the fang to her lifelong friend. He took the blade in his hand with a light grasp and a curious eye. He held it in his hand, his gaze glazing over as if he were traveling far away from her. And then in the next moment, he was back, tails wagging back and forth as if he were excited. Lips parted to reveal small little fangs that belonged specifically to his kind of demon. He raised the blade and suddenly the clearing they were in, errupted in a flash of bright blue fox fire and the red winds of the sword's youki.

Suddenly the demon blade  _was_. It was as she remembered it from her younger days. It was magnificent in her friend's hands.

"Shippou, you did it!" Her voice flitted and pitched with her excitement as she watched. Hands flew to her chest as there was a painful clench.  _Just a little bit longer, please! Hold on lord Sesshomaru._

The fox looked in awe at the demon sword that had responded to him. "I had heard Inuyasha's voice, just for a moment. He told me it would be okay. He did. Heh, he called me a runt just like back then."

The old woman shot the youkai a curious look.

"We'll be able to get your stuffy lord back, Rin. Get ready," Shippou's face was determined as his brows furrowed and he swung the sword, calling out the incantation. "Meido Zangetsuha!"

The world exploded in a conflagration of bright blue, lilac, and midnight black. It seemed as though stars danced within the hellhole and that made it somehow depressingly beautiful. Was the taiyoukai stuck within a beautiful cage?

"Lord Sesshomaru?" she called out, her eyes wide as she edged as close to the dimension opening as she dared. She knew that once it closed, there was no way out. Honestly, she did not know how exactly the magic worked, but she knew as a human-she would not survive the experience if she fell into the Meido.

"Sesshomaru!" Shippou yelled, his grip on the handle tightening. "You better get out of there bastard, I can't hold this open as long as Inuyasha could."

"Lord Sesshomaru please!" Rin could see the kitsune's strength failing him. The sword was not his so it made sense that he could only control it for so long. Perhaps she should leave it in his care rather than on a stand at the House of the Western lands. But that was something she would consider later. Now, she had to free her lord. She had to do something.

Her aching joints creaked as she stood up, and ran, the long flowered stalks at her feet swaying like hands trying to grab at the hem of her kimono. Shippou yelled out to her, but she ignored him, she plunged her hand into the darkness, frozen air instantly biting at her skin as it disappeared into the blackness of the Meido. The ice that bit at her fingers felt like the sharp teeth of the wolves that often haunted her dreams from her childhood. Wincing, she tried to ignore the pain. Opening her mouth, she screamed.

"Lord Sesshomaru, Rin is here! She is! Please come back to us."

There was only the sound of Shippou struggling and the rushing youki that bustled around the sword.

"Rin get away from that!" the kitsune cried out, dropping to one knee. "I can't hold it open much longer."

"No, we can't leave him, Shippou!" Her voice trembled and her hand was numb. She couldn't move her fingers and her other hand cradled her elbow, trying to keep it in as long as she could.

"Rin!" the fox yelled, the sword falling to the ground, his hand steaming slightly.

The old woman panicked as the Meido shrunk quickly around her limb. There wasn't enough time to pull it back and she almost sobbed. She didn't want to get sucked into the portal...but maybe, she would get to see Sesshomaru after all. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

But suddenly, she was pushed forward and there was an explosion and flurry of silver and white. When she fell back, someone caught her, holding the back of her shoulders with care. Her eyes wandered up to see the pensive gold eyes of the Inu taiyoukai.

Shippou sighed in relieve as he allowed himself to sink into the grass. "We did it Rin! He's back!"

"Lord Sesshomaru," the tears slid down her face freely now as she stood and watched him with a happy expression.

He said nothing as he observed her, before reaching out and gingerly touched wisps of her silver hair. "Your hair looks like this one's, Rin."

Another throaty sob escaped her chest as she nodded. "Rin tried hard to memory of you alive, my lord. It has been such a long time."

The kitsune sat back on his heels and watched with a look of relief that hid his internal mortification. He hadn't realized just how badly his friend would be hurt from the spiritual damage from the Meido. It was his fault for not being strong enough to both search for Sesshomaru and hold Tessaiga's portal open.

Sesshomaru's frown deepened. He could not remember much of being stuck in the Meido. In fact, it felt as though he had just entered and yet at the same time had been trapped within the frozen walls for forever. His gaze wandered to the hand his once-young ward clutched to her chest. It was blacked and the edge of her skin was etched with different trials of frost.

"I've missed you, my lord!" Her smile widened even more as more tears fell.

The taiyouki said nothing.

_Time pained everything it touched._


	4. Cursed by the Deities

**Chapter Three**

Shippou took a good look at the youkai lord now that he had a chance to regain his senses from the mind numbing pain that came from holding Tessaiga too long. His eyes blinked more than once as he tried to double take what he was seeing. Surely Sesshomaru had noticed. But as Rin doted over her caretaker with an almost grandmotherly affection, the kitsune was sure that the taiyoukai had not noticed the significant changes on his body.

Swallowing, Shippou's voice came out in a shaky, throaty croak. "Lord Sesshomaru."

The Inu looked at him with a graceful arch of his, thin eyebrows.  _He was listening._

"I...your...I mean," the poor kitsune could not find the words to describe what he was trying to say—at least not without his tails being lopped off in the Western Lord's rage. That would be extremely bad.

"Speak up kit, you are aware of this one's dislike for idle babble," Sesshomaru tilted his head back just a bit, showing his disdain.

Tilting her head to the side, Rin observed her lord with interest, wondering what had her old friend in such a state. And then she noticed it too. Her uninjured hand flew to her mouth and her tired brown eyes widened. That surely could not have been possible. Not for her Sesshomaru.

The Inuyoukai caught his ward's mortified look and shot them both a withering gaze. "You both will tell this Sesshomaru what is wrong with his person. Right now."

Suddenly, they both felt like children again. Being on the down side of the youkai's glare. It had been so long since anyone had looked at either of them in such a manner, and it certainly did not feel in the slightest bit good. Still, Shippou stepped up beside Rin, and plucked stalks of the buckwheat from the earth. Crisp little stalks of the plants snapped as he harvested a handful. When he had the amount he wished for, he whispered soft words against the flowers. Blue fox fire sparked to life and danced around the plant before it transformed slowly with his magic. Not before long, he held a small piece of glass that reflected the image of the kitsune's face back at it. A mirror. Rin looked on in silence, unsure of how her lord would react.

"Sesshomaru," Shippou stood tall, and tried to bear a semblance of youkai courage that was implied with his three tails. "Your markings are missing."

The Inu stayed quiet but took the mirror offered to him by the younger demon. His lips pulled taut as he glared into the surface of the mirror, his gold eyes slowly filling with confusion and anger. Once on his brow, but no longer, the crescent moon—the symbol of his mother's house, was gone. The stripes that touched his cheeks, too, had disappeared. With a slowed breath, he handed the item back to the kitsune and checked both of his wrists, especially the his relatively new arm's wrist. The markings there too were no longer adorning his skin.

"This Sesshomaru demands an explanation now," he nearly snarled, his voice low enough to vibrate through his chest.

"Rin doesn't know, my lord," she worried, never taking her eyes from him.

The kitsune crossed his arms over his chest, gripping the mirror so hard that it crumbled back to the earth as bits of burned buckwheat. "Do you feel any different, Sesshomaru?"

Closing his eyes, the youkai's lip quirked down as he searched himself. It was bizarre, all of his youki was still there, but it was stronger. Laced among the streams of his might, something shifted dangerously, something extremely powerful that felt too much like himself.

"This one feels the same."

Humming, Shippou narrowed his gaze. "Try using one of your skills. Like the beam of light you sometimes use to travel. Don't go very far, maybe a hundred feet or so, but try and see what works still."

Nodding, Sesshomaru closed his eyes and summoned his youki to transport him. However, the smell of smoke filled his delicate Inu nostrils and he cringed. Opening his eyes he realized that the burnt smell came from himself. He showed no sign of his horror, however, when he saw that lilac smoke trailed from his shoulders and hands as well as the tips of his hair. Before he could try and stop the usage of his ability—he traveled. One moment he had stood before the kitsune and his ward, now he stood a hundred feet from them, on the opposite side of the flowered field.

_What in the world?_

Shippou growled and he lowered his arms, tails waving in agitation. "Sesshomaru, it is as I thought. I know what is wrong now."

"Speak now kit, this one does not like what is happening."

The kitsune's youki flared for a moment before it lowered and a sigh escaped his lips. "I thought your youki had a different quality to it. Now after seeing how your powers were affected, I truly know what is wrong."

"Quit stalling, you try my patience," Sesshomaru growled, teleporting back to them in a blunder of blue and lilac smoke. His eyes were narrowed dangerously in a way that almost seemed like panic.

Shippou's red hair blustered as he flashed his youki again, so that it buffered and sparked against the Inuyoukai's. Then and only then did the taiyoukai feel it.

In a rush of fury, Sesshomaru clenched his hand and summoned his beast. The power of youki bubbled at his surface and he prepared to be transformed in the form of the great white Inu. But as the might's flow ebbed, pain shot through his chest and laced through every vein under his skin. Burning filled his senses while the touch of hot smoldering ice seared through his muscles; with a grunt he fell to one knee, tremors racking through him. It felt as though a blade had been snared in the flesh and sinew between his lungs and below his sternum. With a sigh, Shippou crouched down in front of the kneeling youkai lord. His grin eyes widened for a moment while he placed his pointer and middle finger in the air above the Inu's chest. Again, fox magic lit the air with its wonderful glow—

And revealed Bakusaiga painfully wedged within the taiyoukai.

"You've been cursed, Sesshomaru," the young demon murmured, his green eyes bright. "You've been cursed by the deities."


	5. Shoed Feet

**Chapter Four**

Kagome hopped down the stairs, trying to distract her attention from her friends' noisy banter. Eri, Yuka, and Ayume all walked in a huddled group around her as they driveled on about their high school's newest gossip. The miko could hardly believe that in the past hour yet another new piece of meat had been exposed for the girls to giggle about. Seriously. It was like they lived in one of those ridiculous reality shows.

"What do you think Kags?" Eri asked, her excited voice bring the girl from her thoughts.

Frowning, Kagome had not a single idea of how to respond. "I...think it's great?"

The girls all gasped and looked back and forth from one another. "But...she's just an underclassman! A first year."

"Oh, then maybe it's not great? Who am I to judge. They can do what they want," she shrugged, not entirely positive she was deflating the situation. In fact, she was pretty sure she was feeding their fire.

Yuka gasped with a scandalized look before she leaned over with a mischievous grin. "Why Kagome, I didn't know you had that sort of mindset."

 _Okay, abort abort,_ went the little sirens in her head. Pulling away from her friends, she started to edge toward the opposite direction that they were heading in. "Well, you know guys I'm actually going this way! Mama wanted me to pick up Souta from school."

Before her friends could protest, she gave them a falsely sweet wave and ran off. A sigh escaped her chest when she was far enough from them and she slowed her pace. Honestly, she loved those girls to pieces, she did. But sometimes, they were just a little too rambunctious for her-and not in a good way. That was the modern world though, people lost the quiet reserve that she had gotten used to in the Fuedal Era.

Her feet pulled her towards her brother's school, her mind totally lost in thought. She didn't notice the man edging in closer from behind her. His black bangs bounced on his forehead as he sidled up to her side, his hand gripping her shoulder.

Shocking her back to reality, she pulled away from the light grasp, her eyes completely wide and warning. Her reiki spiked as strong youki brushed against hers in an appeasing way, as if trying to say that the man was non-threatening. When she finally got a good look at him, her mouth fell open into a small 'o' and her eyes blinked in disbelief.

"I…" Her voice caught in her throat for a second before she spoke much more confident. "Inuyasha?"

He was different, that much was certain. His hair was black, like it would have been on the night of the full moon, and he had cut it short enough to wear only a little ponytail stuck out from the back of his head-much like Miroku's. An American baseball cap was clutched in his hand, while he wore a puffy, red leather jacket. It felt strange to see him in a t-shirt and jeans. But it felt strange to see him in general. She didn't question why he didn't have the subjugation beads on, she didn't care.

"Inuyasha!" She greeted again, her arms flying open before she threw them around his neck, hugging him tightly.

The moment didn't last long.

"Oi, wench!" He snapped, easing her off in him a contrastingly gentle manner compared to his tone. "My name's not Inuyasha."

She blinked, her eyes searching his gold ones. "W...what?"

"Keh," he scoffed in such a familiar way. "My name's not Inuyasha."

Still confused, Kagome tilted her head, eyes narrowed as she looked at him. Despite the strange changes to his hair and garb, he was still very much the Inuyasha she knew. His gold eyes. His apparently never changing huffy personality. But that gentle side he hardly allowed people to see.

"Then who are you?"

His scraggly brow lifted and his eyes averted from hers. With a calming breath he returned his gaze to hers, and held out a small pink coin purse clutched between clawed fingers. He shook his hand slightly, as if proving to her that he was offering it.

The miko looked at him with suspicion until she realized it was the coin purse she kept in the pocket of her blazer. Her hand slipped quickly into the left pocket of her jacket before realizing that said coin purse was missing. Immediately she grabbed the item from him and bowed quickly.

"Thank you!"

"You dropped it when you were running like an idiot a while ago," he sniffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Her cheeks flushed and she almost had half a thought to sit him. But she didn't. Because he still hadn't lost that sense of formality one keeps with strangers. He did not recognize her.

"I'm Kagome," she reached out her hand to shake his, maybe he would realize it was her now.

He stared at her outstretched hand before shrugging. "I didn't need to know that, stupid."

And with that, he walked away with a non-committal wave, goodbye. His shoed feet,  _shoed feet_ , carrying him in the opposite direction she had come from. Her eyes followed him and she felt like calling after him. Running toward him. Something to get him to remember her. As Kagome thought about it, she would have bet her heart that was Inuyasha. It could not have been anyone else. But then again, was it like the youki she had felt this morning…

Had she imagined it?


	6. Summoned

**Chapter Five:**

Souta continued to eat out of the bag of chips while Kagome carried the rest of the groceries home. Their walk, which normally would have been filled with chatter and a few light jabs here and there, was filled with silence instead. His sister's eyes held a light that he had not seen in a long time, and there was a determined expression that her jaw kept as it clenched. It had been a while since he had last seen such a look on her face. It hurt the middle schooler to see her like that, because it meant that she was contemplating  _them_ again.

"Hey sis," he tried, pausing chip mid-air as he waited to see what her reaction was.

She blinked slowly, her mouth drawing in a tired line while her eyes widened slowly—she had been brought back. "Hmmm? What's wrong Souta, did we forget something?"

The boy shook his head and he placed the piece of his snack back in the bag. "No, you just seemed kinda out there."

She hummed noncommittally, with a mumbled 'oh was I' before returning them to their quiet again.

With a grunt, he crumpled his chip bag so the metallic plastic could crinkle loudly. That annoyed his sister to no end and he knew that it would bring her back. He was met with a bop upside the head, and he wince a bit as he met her scowl.

"Don't be a nuisance," Kagome bit, her voice not unkind, but not wholly un-irritated either.

"I just wanted to know what you were so quiet," He sighed, continuing to eat again, chewing with his mouth open. "You're not normally like this."

"It's been a long day." She supplied.

He snorted. "Join the club. That's nothing special."

"What do you know you're just a kid."

"And you're just a teenager, so what?"

A slight pout crossed her face and her cheeks puffed indignantly for a moment. He was relieved to see her with that sort of a look.

When they arrived home, there was a comfortable silence between the two of them. When they finished climbing the steps to the shrine, Souta took the groceries from his sister and ran inside telling her he could handle the rest from there. She watched him go with a small smile on her lips. The air was starting to get chilly, telling her the time for mittens, her heavier coat, and scarves would be arriving soon. She certainly hoped so. Her footsteps lingered as she walked slowly, her mind traveling to different things to distract herself. There was the upcoming field trip to a museum, the shopping day she and her friends would have over the weekend, and not to mention Jii-jii's favorite day of the month: shrine cleaning day.

Her steps paused and she looked at the well house. It looked so tempting, just to step in and take a peek. What wrong could become of that? The worse that could happen is that the well would remain closed and she'd have a slight pain in her ankles from the drop. That would not be so bad. Especially considering the best case scenario would be time opening for her once again and she would be able to see everyone.

Their laughing voices and smiling eyes, glittering with the happiness of finally being reunited…

Swiping at the air, Kagome turned around and walked down the stairs of the shrine. She could hardly take this torture anymore. With her destination set in her mind, she was fully ready to make the trip. It would take a few hours, but it would be worth it, she believed.

 _Mama will understand,_ she thought to herself as she began to make her way to the train station.

The miko decided that she would take the train from Tokyo to the ferry in Koto and from there she would travel across the bay to Chiba. She had done this before, the first week she had gotten locked out from the Feudal Era. So this wasn't something new. It was just something she had not done in a while.

People crowded around her, chattering about school and working. Talking on the phones to their children or wives or husbands. It was noisy. Too noisy. Her lip trembled as she forced her mind to quiet as she reached the walkway to the station, her train card swiping past the sensors so she could wait on the platform. The screeching of metal wheels on steel beams reached her ears first before she saw the speed train. Her eyes searched the electronic sign to see if she would board. Her sight narrowed and she sighed.  _The next one_. A plethora of people entered and exited the train and she almost wished she had stayed home. That probably would have been more productive. But the thought of the empty well house spurred her on. This was one of those days where she could not sit still. She had to go somewhere, anywhere, away from that reminder.

The overhead voice announced in its rattly, nasally voice the dart to Koto would soon be arriving and that withdrew Kagome from her solid determination. As the train slowed down at the platform, she sighed softly and closed her eyes. She tried to forget a hanyou meeting her at the train station to hand her the high school entrance exam ticket. Every time she came here, it would be a painful way of her to cope with the fact that he had been real and that she had not imagined everything in some fanciful daydream.

As she boarded and found an open seat, her mind went to the encounter earlier that day.

" _Oi, wench!" He snapped, easing her off him in a contrastingly gentle manner compared to his tone. "My name's not Inuyasha."_

_She blinked, her eyes searching his gold ones. "W...what?"_

" _Keh," he scoffed in such a familiar way. "My name's not Inuyasha."_

_Still confused, Kagome tilted her head, eyes narrowed as she looked at him. Despite the strange changes to his hair and garb, he was still very much the Inuyasha she knew. His gold eyes. His apparently never changing huffy personality. But that gentle side he hardly allowed people to see._

" _Then who are you?"_

There had been youki and while a half-demon, Inuyasha had a strong youki that could even be compared to Sesshomaru's. She had recognized it the moment she saw him. But he claimed that it was not him. In fact, he had no seeming recollection of her either. He had acted completely aloof—more so than his usual dose. So that made her wonder, if that was not Inuyasha, then who exactly was it? She could not have made up something so real, something so tangible like that. Not in that way. Plus to mention that she had misplaced her coin purse when she ran away and then he returned it. A figment of the imagination couldn't do that.

"So I wonder, maybe…" her heart sunk a bit as a thought crossed her mind. "Maybe he's related to Inuyasha. It's possible that he might not have made it to this era, but any progeny he would have would have made it. What, is it silly to think that he would have waited for me to return? I mean it's unlikely but…"

She felt the gentle chill of tears along the corners of her eyes and she commanded herself to stop. It was absolutely ridiculous for her to cry over something like that. If it was a descendant of Inuyasha, then she should be happy. A part of his legacy was able to live on after him. Although again that did raise the question as to why this person did not recognize her. Inuyasha had known her time well enough for him to be able to advise any future offspring of her whereabouts and who she was. So why hadn't there been any connection between her and him?

"Ugh, this is so confusing," she sighed, tilting her head back to rest on the cool glass of a window.

" _We will be approaching Koto juncture,"_ the announcer stated.

With a slow exhale, Kagome stood and hauled her backpack from her lap to her shoulders in a swift motion. The moment the train stopped, she was off and away, eager to get away from the traffic of people. From the train station she could see the bay where she would take the ferry. Reaching into her jacket pocket, she pulled out her coin purse and made her way down the streets and through town to reach the docks. It didn't take her long to reach her destination where gulls cried and waves slapped the side of the harbor while boats bobbed up and down, water lapping at their sides. Pulling up to the a little booth, she handed in her fare in exchange for a ticket. She noticed the line of people moving at the ferry, and she ran, hoping she could make it in time before she would have to wait another half hour for the boat to return. Just as the harbor master was closing off the last of people to join, she ran up to him.

"Excuse me, excuse me!" She cried out, her ticket in hand waving frantically.  _Wait!_

He looked from his watch to her, before tapping his foot impatiently. His furry brows lifted and he gave her an expression that said, 'hurry up'. She could have hugged him in relief. The little miko rushed to him, holding her hand out. With a sharp inhale, he ripped the ticket snub off her pass and allowed her onto the boat. The miko bowed gratefully before rushing on to board to find a good seat.

Her stomach pitched a bit but she forced herself to keep her food down. It wasn't often that she could get motion sick. However, the stench coming from Tokyo's bay made her rethink this whole trip to Chiba. Shaking her head, Kagome knew that this was something that she had to do. At least to regain a little sanity in her life.

When the ferry docked, she waited patiently in line to leave. Once she was off and on solid land. She began her walk to Inage Seaside Park. The grassy knolls just before the sand that met the water was just where she wanted to be. That was her spot. From the time that she had been banned up to today, she had visited the beach in the Chiba prefecture a total of four times, this time being the fifth. For some reason, the miko found comfort in the rolling, gentle waves and the cry of seabirds overhead.

By the end of the hour, Kagome had made it to the sea park. A few people were there, however she was the only person around her particular area. Both to the left and to the right, in the distance she could see shadows of people dancing and playing along the sand.

A wistful smile crossed her face and she could not help but think of Shippou. Her little kit. She missed him. For the umpteenth time she shook her head and sat down on the grass. While flattening her skirt neatly on her lap, she gasped as a sensation of discomfort shot up from the back of her thigh. Rearranging the way she sat, she reached under lap and searched for what had poked her. She was surprised when she withdrew an old lighter that someone had abandoned. With disgust, she turned the item over in her fingers, wondering why someone would just trash the beach like that with the very flammable piece of plastic. Still, with a small ounce of curiosity to see if it still work, she turned the dial with her thumb. A half surprised gasp escaped her when the flame jumped out violently and nipped at her fingertips. With a yelp, she dropped the lighter. Panic settled through her stomach as she realized a small smolder had started on the grass. She leaned down and began to blow on the tiny flame, it wasn't very big, but with how dry the grass was, it would spread in a moment.

Wisps of steam and smoke wafted and the threat was gone.

Resting her head in the palm of hand with an exasperated exhale, she wondered if she would find any peace here. It wasn't until that thought crossed her head that she felt as though she were being watched.

 _Please don't let it be an officer, I promise that wasn't my lighter,_ she begged, her head turning slightly to look.

"Woman, what did you do?" A man demanded.

The girl sniffed, wiping the back of her hands on her skirt. "I'm sorry, what?"

She turned to look at the owner of the voice.

Both of them found themselves taken aback.

She stopped. Her mouth gaping slightly as the breath rushed from her chest. She couldn't believe it.

The Inu stood before her, his golden eyes narrowed and his dark brow furrowed. His once long hair had been cut close to his skull although it seemed more proper and businesslike than short—but his bangs still covered his forehead in that familiar way. In his hand was a clutched bouquet of flowers. Those seemed to starkly contrast the fine pressed blue button down he wore as well as the black trowsers he sported. Those were definitely something she had not expected to ever see him wear. But the thing that surprised her the most was the fact that the markings that had once proudly adorned his skin were gone. Was this just like earlier? Her ghosts haunting her so that she couldn't tell the imaginary from reality.

"Sesshomaru?" she gasped, her tone incredulous.

"You are the woman who trapezed around the country side with my idiot hanyou brother," he realized.

"I don't know about 'trapezed', but sheesh," Kagome tilted her head to the side. "How on earth did you find me?"

 _I didn't._ He blinked, not answering.

With a small smile she looked at the flowers in his hands. "Those are pretty."

"It's buckwheat," he answered, still staring at her.

"Buckwheat, they say that means lovers," she joked before realizing that with him, that was a very bad idea. She fidgeted. "Er. It's good to know you're still around, you know. I'm sure if everyone were still—"

He dropped the flowers by her side and turned around walking away.

"Hey, jerk!" she called after him, "I was talking! At least excused yourself."

"Do not summon me again," he stated flatly, his voice monotone as he continued to walk away from her. "This one is not a dog for your beck and call."

"You could have at least said goodbye!" she called after him. "And I did not summon you!"

In a swirl of lilac smoke, he disappeared, as if he had never been there to begin with. The only sign that he had was the flowers lying abandoned in the grass. Kagome frowned, before she reacted, tears of joy starting to spill from her eyes. She was not alone.

* * *


	7. Even Old Dogs Get Lonely

**Chapter Six**

She stared at the flowers on her desk, fingers ever so gently brushing against the puffy white flowers. The small buds almost seemed like a wilder form of baby's breath, and that gave her some sort of solace, not that she knew why. Kagome thought about the events of earlier that week. She had met Sesshomaru. Not only had she met him, but he had admitted to being he. Her imagination had not conjured a familiar face when she most wanted to see one, but instead she genuinely encountered what one would maybe call a "blast from the past". Her heart fluttered at the thought and a small chuckle made its way past her throat.

For the first time since she was locked from the well and its flow of time, loneliness did not weigh on her chest like some impending brick of depression.

Someone lived here, in her time.

" _Do not summon me again," he stated flatly, his voice monotone as he continued to walk away from her. "This one is not a dog for your beck and call."_

His cold gold eyes, albeit slightly surprised, flashed in her mind again and she felt a pout bubble in her expression. That guy! He really could be rude sometimes. Just when she thought that she might be able to have a decent conversation with the Inuyoukai, he disappeared in a flash of smoke. Poof!

Humming, her fingers drummed on the wood top of her desk. That factor had been a bit of a surprise to her. In the short time that she had known Sesshomaru in the feudal era, he had not be able to just whisk himself away in wisps of steam and color. He had a ball of light that he seemed to transform himself into. Or if he was being energy efficient, he would extend his youki into his mokomoko and fly off into the sunset like the dramatic Western Lord he was. But the disappearing act, that had been new. Perhaps since it had been so much "time" since the last she had seen him, he had developed more abilities. Afterall he was a much older youkai then when he had been in Edo. Older by five hundred years to be exact. She was sure the old dog had picked up quite a few tricks since their last encounter. With a giggle she covered her mouth, not sure how he would've reacted to her calling him an "old dog". He probably would have beheaded her or disemboweled her on the spot.

A thought crossed her mind. He had not given her an ultimatum like he normally would have. He merely commanded her to not summon him again. So, unless he had come up with a really great punishment (and he seemed like a busy demon given his nice button-down shirt and iron pressed trousers), she doubt that he had given any more thought about it. Besides, in the modern era, it wasn't like he could just lop off her head and be done with it.

Maybe he would sue her.

 _Jokes on him,_ she smirked,  _I'm a broke high school student._

So now she had to consider just exactly how she had summoned him the first time. It wasn't like she had been thinking about him. She hadn't wished him there. Wishes were out of the question. In fact, she had not done anything unusual other than drop the lighter on the grass. The lighter! Maybe the object had been magical?

No, it was just an old lighter. But she did think she was getting somewhere. Perhaps, wishing wasn't entirely out of the option. She had just inadvertently wished for him. Determined to try it again, she wandered downstairs to where her mother kept matches in their utility closet. She grabbed the pack and went back up to her room. For the first time in a while, Kagome felt a spurring determination to figure something out. To figure out how to bring the Inu back. Because one grumpy Inu with limited killing capabilities, was better than no Inu at all. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she opened the match box and pulled out one of the small pieces of green-tipped wood. With a quick strike against the checkered side of the box, a flame erupted on the match in a pretty sound of combustion and orange and yellow flickers. Four days had passed since the day on the beach—what was the chance that he had forgotten. Shaking the match so that way the flame pittered out, she frowned and looked down at her lap. Sesshomaru had never been keen on anything other than a strict allyship between them. That had been during the attack on Naraku. But now, there was nothing holding any ties between them, nothing that said he wanted to have anything to do with her. What if he did not come even if she called him here? Afterall, it was like he had said, he was not a dog for her to beck and call.

The used match dropped to the floor and black ashes sprinkled on her rug like miniscule ink colored snowflakes. What was she doing? Whether or not there were more youkai that she had not known about, Sesshomaru had been one of the most powerful during the feudal era. If five hundred years had passed since she last saw him, who knew just how powerful the dog demon had grown since their last meeting. She was making a very big chance to try and meet him. But as her doubt began to make her close the cartridge in her hand, her minded traveled to thoughts of a little girl traveling side by side with a powerful youkai, joy in her step.

She had not thought about Rin.

No matter how powerful Sesshomaru may have been in being able to stall death with Tenseiga, he could not have stretched Rin's life. She must have been long passed since this moment in time. Maybe, even though he would never say anything, he was alone too.

Steeling her resolve, she made her decision. The miko settled with the fact that she would continue to pester and bother the youkai for as long as she could, because even the oldest and most stubborn of demons could grow lonesome. That was a fact. Scraping another match against the box, another putter of fire came to life on the green tip, and she blew it out of with a quick gust from her lips.

As she waited, her room filled with plumes of lilac colored smoke and the scent of lavender incense.


	8. She was Always Shining

**Chapter Seven**

Sesshomaru stared at the blank wall in front of him, the many paintings that had once decorated the elaborate, crepe-wallpaper were strewn across the ground in shattered amounts of wooden frames and shards of glass. In a fit of rage and a remembrance of his ward, he had saw the beauty in them and found the pieces annoying—hence he rid his presence of them. After five minutes of calming, he found himself in the wrong and realized that he had destroyed several priceless and original works from the Renaissance and the Romanticism eras. A sigh gusted past his lips as he walked around the sofas to pick up the broken frames; a small breath of relief soothed him when he realized that the artworks themselves had not been damaged. Taking two at a time, began the tedious process of moving the works to his study. Once he had properly cleaned the major mess in the living area, he set about sweeping up the splinters into a dustpan before disposing of them properly. If he injured himself later due a carelessness of forgoing tidying after himself, he would only anger himself more. Returning to his office, he removed the paintings from their frames and rolled them into loose spirals so that way the colors of the images would be preserved. He would find proper encasements for them at a later date.

Grabbing his coat from his office chair, the Goblin brushed past the door and appeared into a small alleyway hidden between two store fronts in Central Tokyo. With an irritated wave of his hand, he dispelled the remaining tendrils of smoke that came with his teleportation. It wouldn't do to have any lingering traces and make someone suspicious or cautious by accident. While centuries had given him patience and a more mellow attitude, he did not wish to put up with human quibbling on as to why there was smoke smoldering from his would grate his nerves. Best to avoid that.

The city rumbled in a flamboyant array of cacophonous noise coming from people, machines, and a myriad of other things. Edging against his hearing, the sounds began to agitate Sesshomaru's ears but he forced himself to endure. He had run out of groceries at his home and being that his Goblin body demanded food, he was enslaved to search for it. While food from fancy restaurants pleased him—and the wealth that he had accumulated over the years more than well sufficed as payments for him to indulge in such places—he found it much more pleasant when he cooked for himself. There was some sort of pride in the accomplishment that he could cook a better dish than any Michelin star chef and his restaurant. His ego practically swelled at that idea. So the trip to the market became necessary every other week.

In the many, many years that he had to himself, Sesshomaru found that he enjoyed such mundane things. At times he acknowledged that he dare not even consume human food, the very thoughts had once repulsed him. But as centuries rolled by and the effects his immortality became more and more apparent, he found things such as cooking and walking helped make the days more tolerable and at least slightly enjoyable. It was often such, that he would take hikes into the mountain, allow the remains of his youkai youki to roam wild while his Goblin's youki would spread and branch out just as widely. He could do such an act too, but the fresh air of the forest and the quietness that came with the solitude of the mountains surmised a great relief in him. It was almost as if he could close his eyes and fly back in time to simpler days where all he cared about was conquest and maintaining the House of the West. Of watching a little girl prance around an irritated imp. Of watching the daily lives of others with an air of regality and indifference. Indifference and an eternal sense of distaste had always been his. But now, he found himself more sincere and dare he say sympathetic to the wanderers around him. There lives were too short and difficult for one so misfortuned as he to ignore.

In reality, he should have been bitter. Angry that the mortals, and even the few remaining youkai had ends to their suffering and miserable lives while he was cursed to live on until he find the end of his curse. But instead there had been a rather sharp turn in his outlook to life, no doubt an effect of the passing of his ward and the guidance of his heir.

 _Speaking of the idiotic kit,_ his head tilted back and he closed his eyes, letting the sunlight stream through the hairs brushing his forehead.  _I wonder what he is up to. He has not come visit me in quite some time, nor this one him. This Sesshomaru has not seen the brat since I had lived on the mainland for some time in China...That was such a long time ago._

With a shake of his head, he shrugged and continued his way to the supermarket.  _No doubt his curiosity will surpass his busyness and he will find some time to annoy me. The company would not be too ill disposed, though, I suppose._

Curiosity.

His mind suddenly turned in a different direct and began to analyze the fact that the miko from his youth stood in time with him. Not old. Not some hag. Not even cursed like he. She lived, breathed, walked, talked, and even looked exactly the same as when she had with her travels companioned by his half-brother. He knew she had been a unique, existing as a reincarnation in a time only fifty years after her predecessor's death, but other than her surprisingly strong reiki, he had not expected much else from her. Especially since given her garb at the time, he would have considered her a tramp—however the modern era had educated him with the knowledge that almost all school girls wore such uniforms. Her attire aside, she should not be running around in the 21st century, period. A sigh escaped his lips. She baffled him. And things that baffled him agitated him to no end.

He had already commanded her to not summon him again (the fact that she could upset him greatly) but given what he could remember of her from back in the days, she was hard pressed to obey anything anyone told her to do. She had a fierce spirit, he had to give her that.

As he thought about he, he realized that he could recollect quite a few things about the miko. Not that he particularly cared about anyone in Inuyasha's group, he could remember all of them nonetheless because to some extent they were pack, but the girl...her name, Kagome, perhaps? Anyways, the girl, it seemed that each moment encountered shined in some way or another because she was always shining. She had always been surrounded by a gentle, dazzling aura. Whenever she interfered he had been enraged at how such a human could have such a light surrounding them. But now he felt inclined to believe that it was the very light always around her that made her specially granted life here in this time. He did not doubt that he would discover soon exactly just why she was here. The girl had always been inclined to run her mouth faster than she could shoot her holy arrows, so he figured when he saw her again—and he knew he would—he would inquire just as to exactly how she survived time's ravages and ended up in modern day Japan.

But for now, he would focus on which bell-peppers he would cook with his fillet mignon.

He gathered into his arms a small carrier basket for his groceries and proceeded to drift in and out of the grocery store isles with silence and poise. Not that he tried to, but that had always been his strong suit. Looking magnificent. From where he stood in the produce section, he could feel the stares of both women and men alike, and his ego preened. Perhaps this was another reason why he had come to enjoy partaking in more public human activities, there was always someone to feed the ego that burned inside him.

His nose sniffed, and he began searching for the best vegetables to serve with his meal. While many of his Inu powers had gone or decreased, some of them stayed with him—his strength, sense of smell, heightened hearing, and even to a degree his sight. However the spiritual and supernatural powers such as his poison whip, the youki cloud, and the thing that made him Inu (the great Dog that once raged inside him) were all gone. He rued their absence. He found himself constantly missing them.

His hand picked through the piles of sweet potatoes, searching for the freshest of the roots, and found himself pleased with three of the specimen. Gathering them and dropping them into his basket, he continued on, searching for sweet apples and raisins. He decided he would make a risotto with sweet potatoes, raisins and sweet apples, as well as a carrot and shredded napa cabbage for the sides to his dinner. With a quick nod at his final decision on food, he carried on to find his ingredients; caution and meticulous care marked every pick he made, searching for only the freshest of items. Half an hour later with a full basket of ripe, red meat, and crisp vegetables, Sesshomaru made his way to the cashier and paid for his items.

He walked to the swing doors and prefered that he should just teleport home keep his items fresh and chilled. As he walked to the sliding double doors, a peculiar tingling sensation overwhelmed him. Something was pulling at his senses, tugging him elsewhere. The moment his foot stepped over the metal threshold, a power took over him, and twists and twirls of lilac smoke pulled from his body. His powers were being used without his will. In the amount of time it took him to blink and reassess the situation, he had already been summoned away from the grocery store. He found himself, both hand burdened with food-filled brown bags, in a very pink room with a very pleased looking miko. With a sigh, the Goblin rolled his eyes. He knew at some point or another, he would see the miko soon, but honestly-this girl and her bright aura had the worst timing.


	9. Intrigue and Traitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well dear readers, did I deliver or did I deliver! This story is actually what I'm writing for NANOWRIMO, so until the end of November, expect daily updates for this story:)

**Chapter Eight**

Silence enveloped Kagome's room as she smiled grandly. So that was the trick, blowing out a flame. She could summon the most powerful youkai in the world with just a flicker of a match and a lighter, and a small gust of breath from her lungs. How exciting. Although she highly doubted that the Inu in front of her would be as thrilled as she was. Looking him up and down, she noticed that his hands were occupied with two grocery bags.

"Since when do you shop, Sesshomaru?" She inquired, tilting her head inquisitively.

"Woman," he sighed, shaking his head. "This one prefers to do his own shopping to prevent any displeasure of ingredients that a servant might bring to me. And since you so promptly interrupted this Sesshomaru's return home for a quiet evening dinner, might I inquire just as to why you bother this one."

 _Sheesh, as stiff as ever,_ she huffed, crossing her arms. "I wanted to see how I could summon you."

He frowned and crossed his arms, lifting his brow as the brown bags bumped against his sides gently.  _That's it?_

"I mean you have to admit that's kind of incredible that I can do that," she smirked, raising her finger. "What does that make me? Some kind of fairy with magic powers to summon a mighty Inuyoukai?"

He could feel the annoyance furrowing his brow. "Miko, no one could summon this Inuyoukai even if they wanted. However, this one is no longer a Inu."

Her face blanched and she looked him up and down once more, taking in every inch of his appearance. Sesshomaru seemed more mature in his facial features, especially with the lack of his markings. His hair cut short so that the white wisps curled over the crests of his rounded ears made him seem older too. What threw her completely off balance though was the fact that his pale colored ears, tinged slightly red at the tips from the chilly fall atmosphere, were round. Round. As round as hers were.

When Kagome found her voice again, regained from the initial shock, she egged on hesitantly. "So...what happened?"

"What happened occurred long ago, not much after you abandoned Inuyasha," his voice was sharp and his eyes observed as the miko grew outraged. "Which begs the question, woman, how is that you are here in this time when you are but a mere human?"

The dark energy that pulsed from the young woman surprised Sesshomaru. He watched her as she stood up from her seated position on her bed and stomped her way to be toe to toe from him. A slight lift of his brow marked his expression.  _Interesting._

"I'll have you know, that I  _did not_ abandon Inuyasha," she snapped with a growl at the back of her throat.

With a sudden motion, she grabbed his wrist, her reiki surging through her grip. He cringed at the contact but there was a sense of intensity and urgency in the flow of her powers that positively fascinated him. Moreover, not many interesting things happened to him these days, time blended together with every tick of every second. Besides, if he followed her prompting, he might find some answers. So instead of ripping away from her hold, he gave her a warning snarl, his lip slightly. She paid little heed to him, however, and gave a tug to his arm. With a narrowed gaze, he set down his groceries and allowed her to lead him out of the room.

She was a silent fury, her aura glowing red and grey in dismay. He watched her pull him as he allowed her to, she taking down stairs, through a living room, and out the front door—the miko in socks and he in his shoes. The evening fall air bit and nipped at their skins but she seemed totally absorbed in leading him away. Kagome led them across the courtyard, past Goshinboku, and to the small run down well-house. With a slam, she slid open the door and pulled them both in.

His brow furrowed in displeasure. "If you think it is some sort of joke to try and push this one in and leave him there, this one will tell you—he is not very amused."

"Shush you," she bit back, knowing he would probably make her regret ever having even touch him. "I came to prove to you that I am no traitor to your half-brother."

The corner of Sesshomaru's lip tilted downward in distaste. "Oh, little miko? And how do you plan on proving yourself to this one?"

"Go touch the well," she demanded, releasing her grip on him. "You can sense youki."

A curious ping tugged at his gut, however he refused to let this miko overstep her bounds. While he understood the feminine empowerment, this was positively unacceptable to him. He would not let her forget her place.

"Do not let yourself think that the passage of time would make this Sesshomaru so lenient as to permit you to dare command him," his voice was gravelly, feigning outrage.

"Then if it so pleases Lord Sesshomaru," her voice dripped with sarcasm. "See for yourself what the well holds."

A nerve twitched in his neck and he almost found himself desirous in hitting the foul mooded woman upside the head. However he would not stoop so low as to hit both a miko and a girl. Even he had standards

Shooting her a harsh glance instead, he walked down the three steps that lead into the little alcove where the old well stood. It rested in the dim light of the open door at the front of the well-house, and it almost seemed forlorn. Reaching his hand out, he brushed his fingertips over the worn wood, eyes closing as he searched for anything peculiar. He found himself shocked at the sudden sensation of thousands of ancient youki jarring against his senses. Each presence popped and sizzled against his curse of the Goblin, trying to gain some of his power so that theirs might escape. But thankfully, they were all locked away tight within a barrier of some sort of holy power. But the demonic power was there.

He immediately yanked his hand away and spun around to face the miko. "Explain."

"This is the very same bone eater's well that was in the Inuyasha Forest," Kagome said slowly, making sure he understood each word she told him. "This well, because youkai were buried here after the village killed them, there was a build of some sort of power—presumably youki—that let me travel back and forth from this era, mine, to that era. With the jewel, the manipulator of that youki to send me traveling, there was no need for the gates of time to be open to me. Since we defeated Naraku and destroyed the Shikon no Tama, I have not been able to go back."

He blinked, slowly digesting the information. That would explain quite a few things about her that he once considered odd. It also made sense why she was the reincarnation of the previous jewel bearer so soon after the first's death.

"So I did not abandon Inuyasha," she finished, crossing her arms angrily. "Unlike his brother."

Once Sesshomaru processed the jab, he took it, as he thought relatively well. He stomped back up the steps and flicked her forehead hard. With a sharp yelp, she shuffled back from him, hands flying to the offended spot.

"You will do well to remember your status versus mine, miko," he stated dangerously calm. "Your rudeness frustrates this one. Do not expect me to come back should you summon this Sesshomaru again."

With that he stepped out of the doorway, disappearing with a rush of wind and ribbons of lilac smoke.

Mouth wide open, Kagome watched the spectacle, surprised to find him genuinely gone. Frustration ebbed through her and she stomped her foot. Trudging back outside after closing the well-house behind her, she made her way back to the house. She closed the door behind her, gently shoving past Souta when he asked her if there had been a guest with nothing but an answered grunt. With heavy footsteps, she made it back up the stairs to her room. As she entered, her feet hit something and she fell over, falling onto the floor. With a startled cry, she lifted herself up from the ground and turned her head to glare furiously at whatever tripped her. But her eyes widened when she saw the brown paper bags that Sesshomaru had dropped earlier. Shifting her weight and scooting over to them, she looked inside.  _Some sort of fancy cuts of meat, apples, raisins, creme, napa cabbage, and carrots…_ Smirking devilishly, she gathered the bags of food into her arms as if they were her own children.

"Stupid Sesshomaru!" she shouted as loudly as she could, relishing the fact that the youkai could not here her. "I'm going to eat every bit of this food with my family! You won't get a bite of any of this!"

It terrified her brother when he ran up stairs to see why his sister had yelled. Souta backed away from the door slowly. They say fear can be smelled.  _She's finally lost it!_

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like a kudos and a review if you liked this^^ they're much appreciated!


	10. Dorian Gray

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I don't own Oscar Wilde's the Picture of Dorian Gray

** Chapter Nine **

Seething in his seat, Sesshomaru's fingers rapped against the armrest on the sofa in his living room. Irritation caused his brow to dip and furrow. The tips of his fingers drummed faster as his foot began to twitch slightly. It positively ate at him the way the miko had blamed him the other day. She could not possibly know the betrayal that Inuyasha had shown him—albeit the hanyou had been controlled by the other lords and had not been his normal self. The goblin closed his eyes and sighed, trying to ignore the memories of the crazed youkai eyes and heavy, white fangs grazing against parted lips. It had been such a strange look, something that he hadn't seen since the fight against Naraku.

Standing up, he figured it best to distract himself from such dark thoughts. He could not change the past, so there was no point dwelling on what happened. Whisking past the doorway, he disappeared, sending himself to one place he could call a haven. The library.

One such as he had seen all the wonders the world had to offer, in the five hundred years of his continued youthful existence. From the Ezo period with the fall of sengoku japan, all the way to the fall of the Holy Roman empire in Germany, to the newest elections in the Americas. Of course he viewed all these things with a grain of salt, merely spectating them for his own amusement. Yet still the way authors took the tales into their own hands and spun them either perfectly or recklessly, it granted him some small piece of relief. Even through time he had stories to accompany his agelessness.

Walking past the security measures at the front of the library, Sesshomaru greeted the librarian with a neat, curt inclination of his chin before he headed off down the isles. He already knew which book he would entertain himself with. Visiting the young woman Kagome had given him much to think about and the first thing that had come to mind was that story. His fingers scanned the shelves of older and even older still fiction, looking for the correct fantasy. It amused him when he brushed against Shelley's  _Frankenstein._ That story he saved only for special occasions when he felt like reminding himself about the stupidity and the disgusting nature of the humans. Time may have made him more patient with them but he still disliked them to a fault. He merely had more finesse in his art of showing his distaste toward them. Still he moved on, past endless pines and kanji (even some English and other languages too) until he came across the story he had been looking for. He tilted the book back before pulling it from its slot, a deep guttural hum reverberating from his chest. Taking the red covered book in his hands he traveled to the far side of the library and sat in a soft, pleather-worn chair, bathed in light from tall windows behind him. The sunlight lent him good reading light as he set the book on his lap and ran his hand over the hardback front.  _The Picture of Dorian Gray._ It had been quite some time since he had read the book and even more time since he had considered a story of its genre. Still here he sat, ready to interpret the words on the story's first page. His rounded fingers flipped past the first credit pages, the thick parchment crinkling with each turn. In his sight came the words "chapter one". He began:

_The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden, there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn._

_From the corner of the divan of Persian saddle-bags on which he was lying, smoking, as was his custom, innumerable cigarettes, Lord Henry Wotton could just catch the gleam of the honey-sweet and honey-coloured blossoms of a laburnum, whose tremulous branches seemed hardly able to bear the burden of a beauty so flamelike as theirs; and now and then the fantastic shadows of birds in flight flitted across the long tussore-silk curtains that were stretched in front of the huge window, producing a kind of momentary Japanese effect, and making him think of those pallid, jade-faced painters of Tokyo who, through the medium of an art that is necessarily immobile, seek to convey the sense of swiftness and motion. The sullen murmur of the bees shouldering their way through the long unmown grass, or circling with monotonous insistence round the dusty gilt horns of the straggling woodbine, seemed to make the stillness more oppressive. The dim roar of London was like the bourdon note of a distant organ._

It did not take long for the Goblin to lose himself in the midst of classic language and gentle description. Of tales of London and the origins of the mysterious man who would soon be cursed. He rested his chin on the palm of his hand, blinking lethargically as he came to the end of the first chapter.

_Then he looked at Lord Henry. "Dorian Gray is my dearest friend," he said. "He has a simple and a beautiful nature. Your aunt was quite right in what she said of him. Don't spoil him. Don't try to influence him. Your influence would be bad. The world is wide, and has many marvellous people in it. Don't take away from me the one person who gives to my art whatever charm it possesses: my life as an artist depends on him. Mind, Harry, I trust you." He spoke very slowly, and the words seemed wrung out of him almost against his will._

_"What nonsense you talk!" said Lord Henry, smiling, and taking Hallward by the arm, he almost led him into the house._

Just as he began to begin the second chapter, a sensation of alarm sounded in his mind. Two pairs of youki, one familiar and the other not, entered the presence of his mind. Someone, plural, intruded on his property back home. With a exhale of breath and an agitated shut of the book, Sesshomaru took the item back up to the counter where the librarian sat. She looked up at him, surprised at his sudden appearance since she had gained no warning from his silent gait.

"Would you like me to hold this to you?" She asked pleasantly.

"Hn, this one is in a rush," he responded brusquely, turning away from her and walking to the double doors. "And do not have time to reshelve it."

Before she could protest to his rudeness, he pushed passed the front doors, forcing himself back home in the tendrils of his powers. He reappeared in his home, startled by the sound of a certain kitsune's voice at the front door. Sitting down on the single recliner in the common area, he waited for the two youkai to enter. When they did however, what he saw startled him.

Shippou, a quite mature kitsune by now, strode into the house with his five tails wavering eagerly. He took off his shoes, excused himself and entered. Gesturing grandly at all the furnishing in the opposite direction of the Goblin, he smiled.

"And over here we have an open kitchen, perfect for fresh air and all the really great sorts of views for the weather!"

As he turned to opposite side, his green eyes widened and the landed on the white haired being. He stuttered. "A...ah, Sesshomaru!"

Cocking his brow in disdain, the once was daiyoukai decided not to answer.

Before he could protest otherwise, Shippou's guest joined them, stepping in with a deep voiced, "Keh, this place is all fancy and shit. It's everything I was hoping for so far."

The tone caused Sesshomaru to pause, double take to make sure his hearing was accurate. However the youkai that followed the kitsune stung his vision. He wore average human clothes: jeans, a red leather jacket, a white t-shirt, and a baseball cap shoved in the pocket of his jacket. But the youkai was Inu, without a doubt—the trade mark silver-white hair told him that the male was also from the house of Taisho. However it was the gold eyes and the strong brows that told him who this person really was. Or at least who he should have been.

"What're you staring at bastard, and what're you doing in this house anyways?" The rude, white-haired male asked, staring him up and down with growing discontent.

"Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru tilted his head to the side before smirking devilishly. "No, not the stupid hanyou. But rather, a Shinigami?"

Snarling, the Shinigami crossed his arms. "You're the second idiot this month to have mistaken me for this Inuyasha asshole. Listen, I don't know who that guy is but it ain't me. Got it?"

Sesshomaru crossed his arms over his chest, his stoic expression immediately falling back into its rightful place. "Hn."

"Keh!" spat the Shinigami.

A devious glint in his eyes, the five-tailed kitsune clapped his hands together. "Now we are all acquainted! How marvelous!"

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this, please leave kudos and a comment! It makes me happy^^


	11. Strange Things

**Chapter Ten**

Rubbing his face, trying to dispel any visible stress from his features, Sesshomaru paced back and forth as the damned kitsune sitting unabashedly in front of him continued his mischievous grin. Stopping for a moment, the Goblin turned on his heel, giving a sharp look to the fox. He blinked and gave an innocent look before pointing to himself as to ask, ' _oh, someone's in trouble? Wait, who me?'_

"Let this one surmise what you had been thinking, kit," the former daiyoukai sighed, massaging his temples. "You told another creature cursed like myself—a creature with uncanny resemblance to my idiotic half-brother—and told him that he could live here under rent?"

"Oh no, not at all, Sessh," Shippou laughed, leaning forward on his knees and winking. "I told him he  _is_ going to live here. He already paid the first month's rent."

The atmosphere when frigid as the Goblin glared at the fox. There were several nerves in the white-haired male that seemed visible as he tried rigidly to maintain his composure. There wasn't very little restraint holding him back however. His heir was driving him up a wall that he could not escape and he was furious. Clenching his fists and trying to make his smile as aggressive as he could, he crossed his arms over his chest, making his stance as dominant as he possibly could.

"He paid rent for what? A house that this Sesshomaru lives in?" he demanded.

The kitsune giggled. "Of course. You've got a roommate now!"

Lunging forward, the Goblin set his hands out to strangle the youkai. With a squeal, Shippou hopped out of the way and rolled onto the floor, his five tails waving ecstatically as he looked onto the previous dog demon. He gave an appeasing glance before forming illusions of himself to surround the furious magic user. Snarling with a smirk, Sesshomaru enjoyed a good challenge set before him. It was just like hunting.

"Now now, Sesshomaru, think rationally," the fox gulped, noticing the predatory look from the other; he shifted nervously. Not sure if he should pounce or flee.

"Hah! Just like you  _rationally_  leased my house out?" Sesshomaru jumped from his spot on the couch and tackled the kitsune, laughing because even despite his disadvantage of no longer being a youkai, he could still force the other demon to submit.

"Ahhh, uncle uncle!" The fox cried out, his breath hitching when the Goblin kneed one of his tails.

A victorious glint in his eyes but a taut drawn mouth, Sesshomaru stood and pat down his button down shirt to smooth out the wrinkles before dusting off his pinstripe trousers. Giving a groan of defeat, Shippou rested his forearm over his eyes. Leaning down, the white-haired male flicked the younger ginger's forehead.

"Do not sell what is not yours, kit," he warned, that hunter's look back in his eyes.

"Oy, just a fat fucking second," came an uncouth voice, entering the room. "What do you mean don't sell what ain't yours?"

Turning around and facing the white-haired Inu, the Goblin rolled his eyes and walked passed him—ignoring the question.

"Hey bastard just wait a fucking minute, dammit!" the male rushed to catch up with him, throwing his baseball cap on his head so that the white locks of his hair turned black and the golden hues of his eyes darkened to brown. "I live here now so it'd be great if you'd explain why you're here."

"This Sesshomaru will only speak once on the matter." Threatening smoke of violet and lilac began to swirl along the Goblin's body while his eyes blared a beautiful gold. In his hands materialized Bakusaiga, and he held it pointed at the chest of the other. With a surprised look, the capped man stopped with a disgusted curl of his lip. "Do not intrude in the house of a Goblin. So I recommend you get out, Shinigami."

"I paid for my dues and I can't just get a damned refund," growled the Shinigami. "I live here now and you're just going to have to deal with it."

Lilac flames burst along the edge of Bakusaiga and he pressed it closer to the offender. The sound of ice crackled and the tip of the sword was met with a layer of frosted air. Almost like a fight among deities, the two glowered at each other.

"What did you say your name was, fool?" Sesshomaru growled, eying the Inu.

"Ain't got one, and even if I did, wouldn't tell a bastard like you anyways."

"Well then,  _Shinigami with no name_ , excuse yourself when you see fit. Make sure the fox locks up behind you. This one wishes not to see your face ever again near my property."

"You're fucking kidding me."

"This Sesshomaru does not kid."

That said, the sword disappeared and the Goblin turned away, walking through the front doors. Outraged, the Shinigami chased after him, yanking open the door with fury before realizing that his new landlord had disappeared into thin air. Pulling off his hat with a grunted exhale, he turned around to see Shippou standing sheepishly, his tails twitching. Giving an irritated intake of breath, he walked back over the fox.

"You better start explaining now, brat," he placed his hands in his pockets, leaning back nonchalantly, "just what the the hell is going on."

**~**

Kagome sat in the booth at Wacdonalds, a tired expression and grimace on her countenance. Eri, Yuka and Ayume continued to prattle on about the newest gossip of their school. Her ears did not particularly take in anything they were saying, however. Her hand propped her chin and her gaze wandered to the window, watching people walk back and forth in front of the fast food restaurant. Was it too much to hope that something exciting would happen so that way she would not have to deal with them today? Her nerves, since she had seen Sesshomaru, had been particularly short. She wanted more explanation as to why he was here. Also as to why he was missing all of his markings. He had told her he was no longer an Inu daiyoukai, but surely that had to be impossible. Someone couldn't just stop being what they were. It was a paradox about identity. But sure enough she could trace youki from him, just not the same youki as before.

It was all very bizarre.

"Were you listening Kags?" Eri asked, a worried look on her face.

Snapping back to reality with her friends, she gave a sheepish look. "Ah, yes, sorry. Who's together with who now?"

Ayume gave a slightly annoyed sigh. "Jeez, Kagome, it's like you've been your own little world for the past few days now."

"You've just haven't been your normal self," Yuka nodded, resting her cheek on the palm of her hand. "Are you okay?"

Reaching across the table, Eri took the miko's free hand and gently squeezed it. "We're your friends, Kagome. If something's wrong, we want you to tell us."

A small smile pressed her lips, and the young woman couldn't help but give her friend's hand a reassuring squeeze in return. "I'm fine guys, I guess I've just been feeling under the weather is all. They say the flu is going around in the class under us."

"The flu?" Ayume tilted her head back before looking a bit shocked. "Oh that's right! I hope you're not sick Kagome! Especially when you were so frail in middle school."

She bit her lip as she tried not to remember all the fake illnesses Jii-jii had come up with as excuses for her not to attend school. Looking back on those times, it seemed rather humourous. But every now and then, some sort of stomach bug or cold would go around the school, and all of her friends would be stern in making sure she took all necessary precautions to not become sick. In all truth, marching around the feudal era with Inuyasha, killing demons—sifting through blood and guts for jewel shards—had given her a rather iron constitution. But no one else knew that.

"I'm sure it'll be okay," she reaffirmed. "I think it's just the tail end of it."

Her friends exchanged worried glances before they all nodded simultaneously. They gathered up their empty paper cups and hamburger wrappers, the stacked their cardboard fries holders and the trays before making a neat pile of their trash. They smiled generously.

"Let's call it a day Kagome," Yuka nodded, gathering the trays in her arms before sliding out of the booth first.

Ayume gathered up the rest before sidling out of the booth as well. "You go on home and get some rest. That way when we go out next, you'll be your normal energetic self."

"Guys," Kagome's voice felt heavy with gratitude.

"Come on, let's head out," Eri gave a pleasant smile, as she finish scooting down the seat.

With a grateful nod of her head, Kagome slide off her side of the booth. However as she stood up, strapping on her purse, a man bumped into her. He tripped over her from behind, stumbling forward with a surprised grunt as he dropped something onto her shoulder. She cringed as the rancid smell of smoke met her nose. The man turned around and cursed at her before stomping away out of the restaurant.

"Could've at least apologized, jerk!" Ayume called after the man.

Yuka raised her fist and shook it. "Yeah! Can't you see the sweet girl trying to leave."

The smell of smoke still hadn't left the miko's nose so she figured the guy must have been a heavy smoker. However, Eri made a surprised gasp, made a motion to the shoulder which the man had dropped something on. She had forgotten.

"Kagome, it's cigarette!"

Realizing that was the source of the smell, her first instinct was to get it off. With a quick turn of her head, she blew as hard as she could, and the small roll of paper fell to the floor. No longer smolder and just out completely, Kagome stepped on the ashy thing and smushed it between the toes of her shoe and the floor. Her brow dipped angrily.

"Gah! I hope it didn't ruin my sweater," she complained, dipping her shoulder to look at the blackened spot on the blue cable-knit."What a guy, couldn't even apologize for doing something so stupid!"

Her friends had gone surprisingly quiet and they looked past her. With a sigh, she figured the man had come back to hear her badmouthing him. Well if that was the case she was going to give him a piece of her mind. Besides, they were in the nonsmoking part of the district anyways, he shouldn't have been doing something stupid like anything—and it was his fault for bumping into her.

She spun around to meet the very irritated eyes of not the man who had bumped her, but Sesshomaru.

He held between his fingers and placed against his lips, a white porcelain teacup with bluebells decorating the rim. His eyelashes fluttered a tad as he double took his settings. With a sigh, his gold eyes landed on Kagome and his ever austere expression did not change. She laughed sheepishly, guessing what happened given she blew the stupid cigarette off of herself.

"This one could attest to people not apologizing for their idiotic actions," he stated lowly, taking a sip from the cup.

With a groan, she slouched back a bit, resting her fingers on her temples. "Look, it was an accident this time."

"So idiotic and careless."

"Sesshomaru, that's not even fair. It was a genuine mistake."

Her friends began to whisper behind them.

Arching his brow in annoyance, he gave a warning glance to the miko. "Whether or not it was a mistake, woman, you still inconvenienced me greatly. Bringing this one to an establishment such as this." His eyes observed the bright red paint and the yellow decals, his nose sniffed the fatty smells of meat and grease. "Distasteful, idiotic, and careless."

"Distasteful?" Yuka piped up, stepping around Kagome. "Now you listen here mister!"

Kagome's blood froze.

The Goblin took another miniscule drink from his tip cup, turned on his heel, and walked away. Swaying neatly behind him was the tail to his long brown coat, while his newly shined shoes seemed contrast against the stale white tiles. The other girls watched him go, completely stupefied that he would just ignore them. On the front door, the bells rang as he stepped out. Kagome could see the lilac swirls of smoke from before and she decided to do the most sane thing she could think of. Chase after him.

With a quick goodbye and apology to her friends, she ran after him. Her hands hit the glass of the door just before it closed and she swung it open. His head was seen over a small crowd of people as he continued walking along, back to what seemed like a small outdoors cafe.

"Sesshomaru!" She yelled, rushing to him.

He spun around, and for the first time in a long, long time, there was a genuine expression on his face.  _He was surprised._ Slightly thrown off by that, she slowed down to where he had stopped on the small street. She blinked, unsure of what to do before she had a good chance to really see what was happening. Around her, there were crowds of people just like she had seen outside the window of Wacdonalds. However, the people here were definitely not Japanese. They were pale, with varying brown or blonde hair. What's more was that they were most definitely not speaking Japanese either; it sounded like English to her.

"How...how did you follow this Sesshomaru?" he finally asked, his voice taut.

"I just...ran after you and pushed the door," she stated in confusion, showing him with her arms outstretched and gave a small pushing motion. "Hey, where exactly are we, Sesshomaru?"

With a small sigh, the white-haired male set his cup down on a brick wall with long stalks of ivy and roses growing along the clay. It was a strange sight. Ivy and roses together in one place, because in Tokyo it was too cold for roses to be in bloom.

"Quebec."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special chapter! Every 10th chapter will be a little longer than the normal ones, like a milestone! Leave kudos and a review to let me know what you think <3


	12. Trauma is Triggered

**Chapter Eleven**

They sat facing away from each other on a park bench while fluttering fall leaves fell around them. To be honest, Kagome was as speechless as her companion at the current moment. She had no idea how to begin, or what to ask, or even what to say. So many things bothered her on so many levels at the current moment, it was so confusing.

"Your silence says that you have many questions," Sesshomaru finally said, his voice as monotone as ever.

She didn't answer him right away, dipping her chin down to rest on her chest as she tried to think of a good way to start the conversation that didn't start with the words 'what the hell'?

This time it was the white-haired male to remain silent, his own body language showing confusion. In his own mind, he tried to go over time and time again the moment he had been around others while he teleported. None could follow him once he disappeared into a flurry of power and tendrils of steam. It wasn't possible. Not even youkai or daiyoukai could follow where he went…

Neither could the dead.

"Would it be easier for me to ask what exactly you are, if not an Inu?" the miko began softly, her eyes still cast to the ground.

"Not entirely," he sighed, folding his hands neatly one over the other as he contemplated the question. "I myself have only come to this conclusion in the past four hundred years. It took this one a century to understand."

The crowds around them seemed to add an ambience to their conversation. There was laughter and good cheer. Vendors tried to sell their wares while children and young adults flocked around the stands ogling the goods. With all the chipper attitudes, it made their conversation seem satirical, a not so serious thing even though it was. The both of them felt it, shifting slightly to look each other in the eyes finally. It was as if they were having a normal conversation between two normal people. As if things could be normal between them.

"Perhaps...a better start might be when did this happen?" She reached out, almost touching the soft bangs of his silvery hair, before remembering that he was no ordinary man. That he could cut off her offending hand with just a stroke of his will. Instead she decided to gesture roundly, making a circular motion to point to all of him. It was better, she figured, than out right touching him without his permission.

He gave her a suspicious look, his delicate eyebrows arching slightly, one raised higher as he acknowledged the fact that she almost went through with her first action.

Smiling sheepishly, Kagome shoved her hands into the pockets of her sweater, trying to keep the skin in her hands warm.

"It began," he finally conceded, his breath exhaling in a short puff of frozen air when it escaped his lips. "Thirty years after your departure, this Sesshomaru supposes, from our time to return to yours."

"Thirty?" She echoed.

"Indeed," Sesshomaru nodded. "Rin had already matured into a woman, and your idiot hanyou companion had started his path to become a strong youkai like our father."

Blinking, the girl double took. He would have never acknowledged his relation to Inuyasha through their father willingly. At least not in the past. Had five hundred years really changed him enough to do such a thing? It seemed impossible. Although, he had hated humans once too, and presumably talking, but now here he sat holding a conversation with her.

"So...what started everything?" She questioned.

"An uprising between the North, East, and South lords," he sighed, eyes narrowing and pupils growing raged. "They betrayed both this one and the hanyou. Through some sort of black magic they controlled him and exiled myself. It was a dishonorable act they committed."

A hatred filled quiet settled down between the two. And now looking at him, the young miko could see something in the way Sesshomaru carried himself. It seemed as though he had a yoke upon his shoulders, weighing him down and making him burdened. Suddenly she realized it wasn't just his hair that made him seem old, he was old. He was old and troubled by some sort of obstacle from four hundred and seventy years ago.

"How could they banish the great Sesshomaru?" She asked, trying to lace a bit of humor in her tone to lighten the mood. "He was too stubborn to budge from his western lands."

There was a cruel smile on his face and he snorted. He actually snorted.

"That was what they needed Inuyasha for."

A pit in her stomach formed and she felt for just a moment her voice drop into her belly with a worried sickness. "Why was that?"

"To cast this one into the Meido."

She felt even more sick now, a nausea sweeping through her mind. "How long...how long were you stuck there?"

A wistful smile pained his lips. "Fifty years."

A rush of terror swept through her at that moment. Memories of being trapped in the unending darkness, with only the taunting voice of the jewel filled her sense. Her hands flew to her throat and she found that she couldn't breathe. Tears filled her eyes, and the cold salted water trickled down her cheeks to the corners of her mouth where they stained the edges of her lips. She had been trapped there for only a few hours, a day at most. It had been hell. She had wanted to beg the jewel for Inuyasha to rescue her. To beg that he come to her when she need him most. But she could not have made that wish. But thanks to fate, he was able to rescue her anyways. To save her and kiss away all her fears like she had prayed he would. But Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru.

She fell from the bench, her breath rushing from her lungs as the icy touches of the Meido clenched her skin. Thousands of pins and needles poked at her pores as the frozen nothingness tapped at her, trying to eat away her senses to try and send her into despair. She had barely been able to last the time that she was in the damned black hole, saved only by her love for the hanyou. She gasped and tried to suck in the air that she needed. She was safe. She was in the normal world.

The softness of something beneath her head brought her back slowly, and she opened her eyes, the world's spinning finally slowed down for her. She fell back into reality, realizing that she had relapsed. Her time stranded in the Meido because Naraku had pushed her in still triggered her from time to time. The attack this time had not been so bad.

When she looked up, she realized that she was staring at the underside of a sharp jaw looking away from her, the gentle Canadian breeze sifting through the strands of his short hair. His gold eyes looked upwards, their memory seemingly far away and elsewhere. It took Kagome a few seconds to realize that her head was pillowed on the softer part of his lap. While his hands remained on her shoulders as if to steady her. Had this been any normal time, she would have screamed and pushed the once was youkai away. But instead, she watched him, memorizing every detail of his newer, more humanized form—trying to remember the demon that had been there instead. It was so different from what she had remembered. So un-Sesshomaru like.

Did he become this way because there was no love to have rescued him from the pit of the Meido? He must have been stuck in the stifling solitude of the darkness, hearing the whispers of how unwanted he was, for so long.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a kudos or a comment! Let me know what you thought about this chapter<3


	13. Help

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

Kagome sat up slowly, noticing how Sesshomaru ignored her movement and continued to look off into the distance. Her lips upturned into a gentle frown, unsure if her falling had upset him or not. Looking away abashedly, she sighed.

"Thank you, for catching me."

His reply was a hummed 'hn'—his character response. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting but, a sort of nostalgia came with the curt reply. A small giggle bubbled from her lips and that drew his attention to her. His brow cocked and his golden eyes held a questioning sort of puzzlement that told her he was unsure of as to why she was amused.

"It's just, when I look at you, you seem so different from the Sesshomaru I knew." She ran her fingers slowly through her long raven locks, combing the hair off her shoulders. "But then you responds with just a simple grunt and it makes me think that maybe you haven't changed as much as I thought."

The white-haired male did not respond, instead he turned his head back to wherever he had been previously gracing with his attention. But still, the lines around his eyes smoothed and disappeared, and his lips were no longer taut but relaxed. Perhaps she had assuaged some of his distress? Could it be that her opinion had relieved him? She highly doubted that because no one's opinion of Sesshomaru had ever mattered to him. Yet still, he did not seem as upset as before. It made her feel...happy that she had provided him some assurance, even if it was in her imagination that she had seen it affect him.

Inhaling the crisp air, Kagome laid back, her head resting on the ground. As she looked up, the treeline of reds, oranges, yellows, and browns dappled the baby blue sky. It was a beautiful sight, and one that she much preferred to the city line of Tokyo. It was almost reminiscent of Edo, and that pleased her greatly. Closing her eyes and taking in the scents of nature, she allowed herself to quiet next to what she presumed to be a brooding Sesshomaru. He had always valued quiet over anything, at least second to Tessaiga back when he wanted it for his own, so she did not mind keeping a sort of reverent companionship between them at the current moment. A lot still bothered her. Past-time Sesshomaru would not have allowed her to keep him company in this way, she was sure. He would have either dismembered her (if he was in a foul mood) or simply gone away, bothered by her presence (that was if he was in one of his surprising and gracious moods). But he sat just as quietly as she, either not paying attention to her or paying attention to everything around them at once.

"Goblin," he said tiredly, after some time. His voice was heavy and it interrupted her thoughts at the sudden sound of his baritone.

"I'm sorry?" She cracked open one of her eyes to look at him, confusion furrowing her brow.

He still looked away from her, out towards a cold looking bay where sailing ships bobbed up and down like toys in a calm bathtub.

"Goblin," he stated again, this time his tone was hushed and there was an emotion that she could not believe he was expressing. It sounded almost like regret. "This one has been cursed to live out his life as a Goblin."

She sat up then, giving him her full attention. "I'm not sure I quite understand."

"I did not at first," he murmured, closing his eyes to hide the gold orbs beneath his eyelids. "But it took much studying of mainland culture to figure out that I had become something called a dokkaebi. Roughly meaning Goblin."

Kagome blinked slowly. "So that's what you meant about no longer being Inu."

He shot her an annoyed look. "You are slow, woman."

"I am not slow!"

"It took you this long to realize this one literally meant he is no longer a Inu daiyoukai."

Puffing her cheeks in annoyance, the miko looked at him bitterly before softening her expression and tilting her head to the side with curiosity. "Well, what does being a Goblin mean?"

"In short," he grumbled, a sudden storminess crossing his eyebrows. "I grant wishes."

Oh she knew he would kill her. He had been so patient with her up until now—scarily so. But this crossed the line, she knew that. Yet she simply could not stop the hard laughter that broke past her lips. She doubled over, her arms bracing her stomach while she shook. Her eyes squeezed together as her mirthful sounds rang through the park they were in. Nothing could falter her smile. Not even when the Goblin cleared his throat with an irritated look.

"Amused yourself?" He grunted with an agitated tone.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she nodded, sitting up straight again. "I assume you don't literally mean granting wishes?"

"It depends if I'm feeling generous or not," he slid his finger along the underside of her jaw, brushing the soft tip against her throat. "Just like whether or not this one feels generous enough to spare your life for laughing at him."

Kagome gave him a no-nonsense look after she rolled her eyes. "In this day and time? You think common law will let you get away with that?"

"Humans have done far worse and have escaped justice," for a brief moment he smirked darkly at her before waving his hand. "However you are correct. This one has no desire to go through any tedious legal precautions."

Lazy, she snorted. "So are you going to clarify?"

With a nod, Sesshomaru reclined back, his hands bracing against the grass. "This one had been cursed by the deities for his violent conquests and an overall distaste for the living. Something my father tried to prevent by gifting this Sesshomaru with Tenseiga."

"But you had Rin," the miko pondered, her eyes confused. "Was that not enough proof that you had changed? Or had begun to, at least."

"The sentiments were there," he sighed, before shaking his head. "But it was not enough. I had tried hard to continue to expand my empire by striking down those before that. In the end, it brought distrust among the other lords towards myself. It ended with the death of the Inu known as Sesshomaru and, well—"

"I can guess Inuyasha's fate if he's not here with you," she interrupted him with a sad tone and an even more sorrowful glance. "Keep going."

"Very well. In the end, it led towards this one becoming a Goblin. Burdened with the capabilities of something like a small deity. This Sesshomaru grants, to only those I should deem fit of my assistance, aid."

"Whoa, the mighty Sesshomaru? You're almost like a genie!"

"Did you not listen to this one, woman? I said only those this one deems fit. They must work hard to earn my attention in the first place."

"Oh, so you're more like a guardian angel!"

With a sigh, Sesshomaru gave her a sideways glance. "Must you interrupt this one with interjections that are not as insightful as you think?"

Pouting, the miko rested her fists on her lap. "Rude."

"Needless to say, that is this one's punishment," he looked away from her. "To help those who are weak and tired for an eternity with powers this one did not earn, pulled far away from the identity of his once daiyoukai self."

"You said that with all the powers you have now...you're like a small time deity, isn't that a high step than a daiyoukai?"

"In many regards yes," he responded, his eyelashes fluttering as he blinked, a rueful appearance in the way that he gazed off. "But this Sesshomaru worked hard for every ounce of strength as he gained as a daiyoukai. Every ounce of strength I earned through my own sweat and blood. As a Goblin, all of this is meaningless since it is the gods ways of punishing this one."

Humming softly, Kagome tilted her head to the side and thought about it. Except for trying to use a false arm, Sesshomaru had never borrowed powers that were not his, in the past. He had not sought the Shikon no Tama, either. Only desiring Tessaiga because he believed he had earned it. As she thought about it, in all of the mighty daiyoukai's conquering, he only did so with his own resources and means. He had learned his lesson once, after seeking help from Naraku and that had been enough. When she realized it, her main conclusion about the Inu was that he had been very self-resourceful in a way that maybe her hanyou best friend had lacked. And the more she thought about it...the more she considered the curse upon him. It seemed so unfair. Sesshomaru had not necessarily been evil. Well maybe at one point he had been, but towards the end, with the fight against Naraku—when things became very serious and decisions really mattered; he had always come through for them.

"Let me help you," she said suddenly, looking up at him with eager eyes and a bright smile. "It's a curse right? Then that means there's a way to break it!"

A pain struck his chest where Bakusaiga was wedged agonizingly in his sternum. Sesshomaru reached out and pat her head as he would have Rin. What a simple girl.

"Look upon this one's chest, do you see anything? Use your miko powers if you must."

Straining her eyes, Kagome gave her attention to the spot he had pointed out. She didn't see anything so she used her reiki, brushing it along him. A shock trembled through her and she discovered a familiar pulse of energy.

"That's the sword! Your sword from that time Naraku almost killed you!"

Ignoring the sting at his ego, he realized he had not necessarily expected her to answer. Not even the most powerful of demons had been able to sense his sword in his chest. Only other Goblins and even creatures such as the Shinigami could sense such things. Because his sword had been touched by a god, it was unseeable to a normal mortal. But this woman...this human, she had been able to see it. Was it her purity as a miko?

"Is there any clue as to how to break your curse?" Kagome leaned forward, a smile brighter. "Maybe since we're both here in this time now, I can help you! After all, you helped us in the past! It's almost like we could consider this as a start to our friendship."

It seemed, then, as though the earth slowed its pace and did not resume any normality for a solid minute. The world seemed to revolve around her in that exact moment. How could this young girl, whom he had seen crying along a beach front be so strong and ready to help him end his suffering. Did she know what she was implying, by ending his curse? But the expression across her face was so hopeful, so ready to help. He couldn't help but feel taken aback as he stared into the warm brown of her eyes. They drew him in and made him feel as though he could try again. Actually try to do something about the aching fate that had been dealt to him.

"The only clue this one was provided," he started gently. "Is to find the Goblin's bride. She is the one who will be able to pull Bakusaiga from my chest and end this curse."

Her face fell a little bit at the word bride, but she masked it quickly and easily, as if she had been doing so for a long time. Sesshomaru felt something he never thought he would. Endearment.

"How do we find her?" Kagome asked softly.

Taking her hand in his, the Goblin stood, tugging her up with him. "Let us worry about that later. This one has time and you are young."

He led her away from the park then, entering back into the main city of Quebec.

"Where are we going?" she demanded, following him with a puzzled frown and several tossed looks to her hand.

"Enjoying the sights of the town," he responded with his characteristic monotone. "Is that not what friends do?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a kudos or a review to let me know what you thought about this chapter <3


	14. Broken Pots

**Chapter Thirteen**

Between his fingers, Sesshomaru twisted a maple leaf. The bright red piece of foliage seemed to glow within the warm light of his home, exposing every vein and sinew inside of it. There was a beauty to it, a raw beauty, that captivated him.

_"Hey Sesshomaru, do you live in Tokyo?" Kagome had asked him, her eyes bright._

_"Hn," he gave her a quick nod. "In Nakameguro."_

_"Oh that's not far from where I live. I live just out in Meguro," her soft laugh made him wonder if she was genuinely glad to know of their close proximity. "You know what that means right?"_

_It was the glimmer in her eyes that told him he did know what she meant. "You will be annoying this one more frequently from now on?"_

_"Of course." Her hands had dug into her sweater pockets. "We have to find your bride right? Break the curse and all."_

_He did not answer her. It was the sad look in her eyes at the mention of bride. Was she that lonely that the thought of him being taken away troubled her? How much did she miss her hanyou? Her companions? This woman was far too emotionally connected to anyone for him to understand completely._

_The sudden swift motion of her fingers shoving something into his hands had surprised him. Looking down, it was a leaf he presumed she had snatched from the park. Before he had a chance to query as to why she had done what she had, the little miko had begun to walk away._

_"That leaf means I'll see you next time, so you better not lose it." She waved to him, her smile wide and happy. "Thanks for everything today, Sesshomaru. It was unexpected."_

It puzzled him, the little miko from Meguro. He had known of her for so long and yet he did not know her at all. Still, despite that they were hardly even acquaintances, she accepted his companionship—and even wanted it. He decided that fate had not been particularly kind to the young woman,  _Kagome_ he reminded himself, and he felt need to intervene. If she was looking for someone to lean on, then he did not mind providing some sort of accommodation for her. After all, as Goblin, it was his job to award those who had worked hard with some sort of a favor from himself. She had done her job well, destroying the jewel, and getting nothing in return. A friend seemed like a more than appropriate prize. Nodding to himself, Sesshomaru set the leaf on the coffee table before taking up the cup of sake that he had resting on a coaster. He brought the drink to his lips and sighed with a peaceful air around him. It felt bizarre, to really sense peace despite his curse.

The sound of crashing porcelain against tile shook him from his reprieve and sent his eyes rolling. Oh yes. Amongst the interesting events of his week, he still had one, small, annoying problem to deal with. Standing, sake in hand, he traveled over to the atrium where the Shinigami looked down at a broken terracotta pot on the stone tile ground. He scratched the back of his hat-less head.

"Oy, my bad," he laughed, before crouching down and scooping the large chunks of clay into the palms of his hands.

Not entirely sure what came over him, Sesshomaru used his power to pull the heap of dirt into the air, having it levitate over the Shinigami's head before plopping it down on the ponytailed silver strands. Crying out in protest the Shinigami fell back on his tailbone, yelping as dirt flung into his eyes and lashes. His hands fisted as he wiped at his offended members, cussing like a sailor as he did so. With a short, brusque smirk, the Goblin tilted his head back, his short cropped hair wavering slightly as he did so. Crossing his arms over his chest, he began to walk away.

"What the hell, Sesshomaru?" Shinigami demanded, shaking his hands back and forth to rid himself of the gritty texture. "It was an accident."

"Perhaps, it may have been," stopping, the older white-haired male feigned consideration. "However you are still intruding in a Goblin's house and you broke a priceless pot that was looted from the Inca Empire during the reign of Kuzco prior to the Portuguese conquest."

Eyes widening just a bit, the Shinigami scratched his head, lips drawn in a straight line as if he were sulking. "Well how the fuck was I supposed to know that? It was just sitting around on the windowsill with a stupid plant in it. Shouldn't just leave something so valuable easily broken."

"This one has lived in this home for thirty years," Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and proceeded to walk away again. "And in all this time, this one has yet to drop or break any of his extremely antique items that happen to placed where they might be 'easily broken'.  _Tsk, tsk,_ perhaps it is the Shinigami who is just clumsy?"

"Oy, bastard, that's not fair!" protested the grim reaper sitting on the floor, his gold eyes wide as he realized the Goblin was mocking him.

Disappearing into nothing but smoke, the sounds of Sesshomaru's jeering  _tsk tsk tsk_  left the poor Shinigami fuming. Slamming his hands down on the tile, he reached out and caused the last bits of broken pot to float into the air. He decided that if that's how his host wanted to play the game of unwelcome, he would show the stupid Goblin just how unmanageable a raging grim reaper could out of the atrium, the Shinigami began to spread bits of terracotta shards in front of the bedroom door of Sesshomaru, along particular pathways that only the Goblin took, he made sure to place extra debris in front of the fridge devoted solely to meats. Whatever it was that made Sesshomaru addicted to class A, extremely pricey meats, it bothered the Shinigami to no end. Hence, trouble. With a triumphant grin, the white haired reaper wiped his hands on his pants and decided to go take a shower. After all, the dirt that had gotten into his eyelashes had started to bother his sight; he may have even  _accidentally_ dropped terracotta and dirt into the Goblin's clean white's laundry basket. But it was only an accident—he could hardly see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave kudos and review to let me know what you all thought about this chapter<3


	15. A Goblin's Favor

**Chapter Fourteen**

Writing down as furiously as she could, Kagome worked as quickly as she could. Her in class essay would be a work of art, she was determined to make it the best gosh dang essay the teacher had read that year. Her pen scribbled down each line of the paper, she was sure this would go well. It would! Looking up at the clock, she made note of the time that she had left and the remainder of what she had to write. It wasn’t much—for either. She most certainly could make it though.

 _Alright, go! You can do it!_ She spurred herself onward, her mind in overdrive as she hurried to complete the assignment.

_“Where are we going?” she demanded, following him with a puzzled frown and several tossed looks to her hand._

_“Enjoying the sights of the town,” he responded with his characteristic monotone. “Is that not what friends do?”_

Swiping her hand hurriedly, as if to shoo away the thoughts she had to focus. Now was not the time to be thinking about her trip to Quebec. Furrowing her brow, she cast another quick glance up at the clock. Five minutes. She only had her conclusion to write and then she would be done. Only one more measly paragraph and then the weekend would let her escape school for a few days. Steeling herself, she began to write the last part of her essay.

_Sesshomaru’s gold eyes looked down at her with puzzlement when she handed him the maple leaf she had pilfered from the park. Giggling, she began to walk away from him. She had never seen him, as a daiyoukai, so expressive in his features. Perhaps now, with his difference as a Goblin, he was closer to human than he imagined. Giving him a smile, she opened her mouth to explain to him her odd gift. She wanted to help him break his curse, yes. But she also wanted to get to know this person better—he seemed far more approachable now than he ever did back in the Feudal era._

“Pencils down,” the teacher announced with a nasally tone. “Time’s up.”

Groaning, Kagome looked at the one sentence that served as her concluding paragraph. She handed in her paper with a certain reluctance when their class rep came around picking the assignments up. She had been so close. So close and yet so far.

“Kagome, how did you do?” Eri leaned over, waggling her eyebrows. “Could it be that you finished. It seemed so intense the way you were focusing.”

“I didn’t finish,” she complained, sinking into her desk as her friends began packing up for the day. “I got distracted and didn’t finish.”

Ayume opened her mouth to console the girl but another voice interrupted them.

“Well what do you expect, a stupid student like you probably blanked. Your mind couldn’t handle all that thinking,” one of the older girls of the class stepped before them, her school back hoisted over her shoulder.

“Yui, bug off,” Yuka bit back, crossing her arms as she stood next to the miko’s desk. “Kagome’s plenty smart.”

“I heard she barely passed middle school, and has been struggling through high school since,” Yui flung her long braids off her shoulders with an attitude that said rude sass. “It’s pathetic that you ended up at this school.”

“I’ll have you know I’ve made honors every year,” Kagome rolled her eyes, before standing up and crossing her arms. This girl was definitely not worth her breath past that simple explanation. Gathering up her things into her backpack, she turned to her friends, completely ignoring Yui. “You guys, there’s a new cafe in town that I’d like to try. Would you like to go?”

Her friends gave each other pleased grins before nodding, looping their arms together and marching out of the classroom.

Yui scoffed, rolling her eyes at the four. Sooner or later she would be able to get under Kagome Higurashi’s skin. And when she did, maybe she could finally get that girl in trouble.

“You did so well!” Eri cheered, tugging gently on the miko’s arm. “Really! You didn’t blow up in her face or anything!”

“Honestly you have no idea how much I wanted to,” Kagome chided,  her frown now visible on her face. “Really! Yui has no idea how hard I worked to catch up!”

“It’s not like being sick in school was your fault anyways,” Yuka nodded, her fist cradled in her palm. “Honestly, Yui’s such a brat. She thinks just because she’s got the highest marks in the class, that she can goad you on like that! You’re seriously this close to to passing her up!”

“I don’t know about surpassing her,” laughed Kagome, her head shaking.

“Who’s mocking you, woman?”

The deep baritone voice caused them all to jump. But once the initial shock settled, Kagome instantly recognized the owner to the sound. She spun around quickly, surprise surging through her.

Sesshomaru stood propped up against the wall, his face as expressionless as ever except for his brow which was raised slightly in question. Looking him up and down, the miko realized how out of place he seemed in the school district—with his long navy trench coat and the gray suit he wore. Did he always have to wear such ostentatious clothes? Then again, he had always been one for fine fashion. She remembered the days of his white kimono and the strong looking armor, his mokomoko draped across his shoulder, the silver white fur a strong contrast to the red and yellows he wore for accent.

“What are you doing here?” She asked, not entirely unhappy to seem him, just uncomfortable now that her friends were around.

“I happened to be in the area,” his response was monotone and his facial features did nothing to lend any insight as to what he was thinking.

Ayume was the first to step up. “Hey you’re the guy from last week!”

“Yeah, are you stalking Kags?” Yuka sidled up next to her protectively, her arm wrapping around the miko’s shoulder almost possessively.

“Hn,” was the only response he offered them, his brow slowly setting until his entire features said _‘I am annoyed.’_

“Ah, hey.” Kagome felt a twinge go through her; she knew the white-haired male enough to identify that look as his passive aggressive death glare. “He’s actually a friend.”

“Oh, he is?” Eri passed a confused look between the two.

“Yeah, we’ve known each other for some time?” She laughed girlishly to try and dispel the hostility in the atmosphere. _C’mon Sesshomaru, help me out! I can’t convince them if you’re being like that._

Yuka began to double take as well. “Now that I think about it, he looks an awful like Inuyas—”

“Hey, I got an idea!” Kagome jumped up from behind her friend, hugging her tightly. “Why don’t you come with us, Sesshomaru? We’re going to a cafe not far from here!”

He observed all of them with a look of distaste and shook his head. “Let this one know when you are free.”

With that said, he started to walk away, hands in his pockets and brows twitching with a nerve struck.

“Kagome, you’re friends with that old man?” Yui called from the school gates, watching the whole affair with amusement. “Figures a girl like you would have _that_ sort of relationship.”

Sesshomaru stopped in his tracks.

Kagome had never been one for cussing. Inuyasha had cursed enough for both her and her entire family ancestry. But the stiff posture in the Goblin’s stance told her that everyone within a fifty mile radius was dead. As dead as Naraku and all his minions. _Shit._

“On second thought, woman,” He said slowly, turning around with a pleasant smile on his face. He returned before them, his gold eyes holding a sort of malicious mischief that terrified her. “This Sesshomaru will join you and your friends. Consider the meal on me.”

 _Shit, shit, shit,_ the miko panicked, her eyes wide.

He ushered her and her friends away after that, his smirk never leaving his face.

“Hey wait!” Yui cried out, storming after them before yelping out.

Kagome turned around, looking past the pleased Goblin to see her high school bully crying out. Her braids had caught and tangled in the iron rods of the school gates. On the ground, her hair pulled tightly, the girl was panicking, tears pricking her eyes as she tried to undo the plaits from their knotted mess.

“ _Sessh_ ,” the miko hissed.

With a ‘ _hn’_ , and a satisfied grin, he continued to lead them away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave a kudos and a review to let me know what you thought of this chapter<3


	16. Dressed to Kill

** Chapter Fifteen **

Having bathed and feeling refreshed, Kagome sat down on the chair at her desk and rested her head on her palm. She remembered earlier that day, how stressful it had been. Sesshomaru had not talked to anyone other than polite, curt answers when they arrived at the cafe. As the conversation between girls had carried on, he stared restlessly out the window, every now and then proving he was paying attention to them with nods of his head. But he was not invested in what was being said. That had not particularly bothered the miko, but it made her worry for him almost. Why was he so fixated on the outside. Were there things he was hearing and seeing as part of his curse that he needed to attend to? Or had they just been bothering him? At the end of the day, when the girls had their fill of gossip and cafe treats, he paid for their meal, and with a cordial wave but without a word, he left. His moods were so volatile that the miko felt like she could not predict him any more than when she had crossed into the past. One moment he had been mischievous and strange, and the next moment he had been aloof and quiet again. Humming softly, she resolved to do something and stood. She changed from her pajamas into a pair of pants and her 'Sham' sweater. Pulling on some shoes, her coat and a scarf—she snuck down the stairs. Closing the back door behind her, she grabbed the handles of her bike and walked it way from the shrine, taking her time down the long set of stairs.

Once she was on flat ground, she mounted the bike and began to peddle away, in her mind a solid idea of where she was going. Nakameguro was about a twenty minute bike ride from where she was, a seven minute express train ride. But she figured this would be better since she didn't know how the transits were looking at the current moment. The nighttime city lights were bright in the peripheral part of her vision, but she continued on without paying much heed to them.

The whole mystery Sesshomaru becoming a Goblin was finally too much for her to bear. He was not youkai. But he was not human. Except he had qualities that made him him more humane than he had ever been before. Yet also at times, he was so reserved that he was no better than a lonely deity on a high pedestal away from the world. So in all reality, Kagome wanted to know exactly word for word what he wanted. A wish-granter, a guardian angel—those were not good enough answers. She wanted to know how he had been cursed.

She needed him to tell her why he was the way he was.

As she pedalled along, she wondered if she could actually pull this off. In no way shape or form had the Goblin told her where he lived other than what district of Tokyo. She had no idea what sort of house or apartment he dwelled in. It could be that he had lied to her as well. He could live somewhere else, somewhere far away like Quebec where she could not bother him. Yet still she wanted to try to see him in person, without summoning. She knew that truly did annoy him. Besides, given how old Sesshomaru actually was, he would have ideals that would be more appreciative of the fact that she would visit him in person about something bothering her. Especially something about him. Although the more she thought about it, the more she realized he had no reason to care.

 _Stop that, he even came to look for you today,_ she reminded herself, thinking back to him standing against the school wall, watching her with questioning eyes.  _He was in the area my butt! That guy was genuinely curious about something but his pride won't let him ask it. Because he came to me, I'll go to him._

Without a second moment of hesitation, she hurried along, the reflectors along her bike flashing brightly with the streetlamp as her guide. In hindsight, it was probably a horrible idea to go out riding her bike at this hour of the night, but it was also the quickest mode of transportation she had on her. So it would have to do. But every so often she would pass a dark alleyway with a few shady figures and that would trouble her. She didn't think they would dare follow her, but every now and then she would feel a chill along her back which would cause her to cast a look over her shoulder. Each time she would see nothing. No shadows or scary gang members behind her (although to be fair, in comparison the hungry youkai, idiots with ski masks didn't quite match to par).

A clock struck a quarter to eleven by the time she reached Nakameguro. The Meguro river was flanked with sakura trees, seemingly illuminated by the waning moon, making the water almost blue because of the glowing light. Taking that as a good omen, Kagome turned right, and followed the river downstream. In her sight there were rows of apartments cramped next to each other on both sides. However they didn't scream Sesshomaru to her, so she kept moving. She traveled along the river before her bike tires squealed to a stop, her eyes looking at what she knew to be the thing she had been looking for. It was a two story house, and the way it was designed seemed almost shrine like. It was wooden and old looking, very classic in the way it stood. Two lanterns on the wall shone softly in the night, the yellow light casting a welcoming shine.

The name on the gate read "Taisho".

And while she thought it was a rather odd name for Sesshomaru to pick as his family name, Kagome could understand the nod to his father Inu no Taisho. It was probably one of the only things left that he felt tied him to his heritage. The memory of his father still looming behind him as a reminder to all that he still held pride of an Inudaiyoukai.

Hopping off her bike and leaning it against the wall of what she hoped was the Goblin's house, she reached forward to push open the iron wrought gate. As her fingers brushed up against the metal, she sent out her reiki to let Sesshomaru know that she was there so she would not alarm him. A faint, yet alert response of youki prodded at her miko powers, a sensation of relief and surprise washing over it when he must have realized it was her. Yet she could feel him approaching. With a smile, she reached forward to rest her hands on the gate—

—before she was yanked backward by someone pulling her hair.

She cried out, her eyes going wide as someone pulled her down onto the floor. Before she could even try to protest, someone or something smashed a heavy object against her temple. Stars exploded in front of her eyes before she felt her lashes flutter and her eyelids close against her will. The last bits of her consciousness was trying to force out her reiki to alert Sesshomaru. But her mind weakened and blackened before she had the chance to dispel the aura.

**~**

"Woman?" Sesshomaru asked curiously, opening the front gate at his house to see no one there. His eyes narrowed and he scratched the back of his head in confusion. Had he imagined it? He knew he had sensed the miko. It was a very conscious imposing on his powers and his territory. And still as he looked around, no one was there.

He stepped out from his home. "Miko?" He called again, looking to the left and then the right. His golden gaze landed on the sight of a blue bike propped against the wall surrounding his home. He had never seen it before nor had he known anyone in this neighborhood to have such an ugly mood of transportation. With a frown he tried one last time.

"Kagome?"

When there was no response, he sighed, stuck his hands into the pockets of his pants and went back inside of his house. A thought had crossed his mind and he was now sure he had noticed the miko at his home. She had simply been displaced by people who sought petty human quarrels with him. Good thing he was not human. And even better he was petty. If his enemies wanted to him to fight, then they would get exactly what they wanted. However, for this he would, sadly, need the help of the moronic Shinigami. He did not necessarily want to seek assistance the imbecile, but the grim reaper's aid would be more beneficial in finding the girl and assuring her safety. When he looked down at his feet however, the Goblin realized he was not nearly as dressed as he would like to go out. He himself would need a nicer outfit before heading out into the night, perhaps one of his Italian imported suits with the German made shoes?

 _Dressed to kill_ , as the saying went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has been reading! Leave a kudos and a review to let me know what you thought about this chapter<3


	17. A Very Powerful Man with Many, Many Enemies

**Chapter Sixteen**

" _Hey, Kagome, are you and that Sesshomaru guy dating?" Eri asked, her doe-like eyes blinking curiously as the miko turned several shades of red._

_Shaking her head furiously she cast a quick glance to said-Goblin, he paid no mind to the conversation that was going on. He sat on the opposite side of the booth, his eyes staring outside the window with something that almost seemed like starry eyed wistfulness. It had never occurred to her how much enjoyed being outside rather than inside. But he had carried all of his activities as a "youth" roaming the countryside of Edo with nothing by a imp vassal, a human child for a ward, and a speechless dragon youkai. Despite all the commodities that should have been offered to him as Lord of the West, he had preferred his time underneath the open sky in the fresh air of the world. The stuffiness of a coffee cafe probably made him feel hindered, not to mention the insistent squawking of her friends._

" _No we're not," she laughed nervously, grateful he had not heard her or them._

" _Pity, he's cute," Ayume added, nudging her friend in the side. "He's a hunk, even."_

_Yuka gave a mischief look, before laughing at the embarrassment that seemed to be showing more and more on the miko's face. All of her friends wiggled and giggled at her expense and it was definitely not funny anymore. She pouted._

" _Yet," Sesshomaru said curtly, his eyelashes coyly fluttering as he turned to look at them, his face completely void of emotion except for the small upturns at the corners of his lips._

_Stiffening, Kagome could not believe her ears. Was he actually enjoying this? The jerk was amused that her friends were making such a big deal out of this._

" _Yet?" She protested, her eyes inviting him to say something more._

" _Indeed. This one and yourself are not dating_ yet,"  _he repeated, his chin inclining just a bit in a manner that was so like the old Inudaiyoukai. He was challenging her to dare saying more on the matter._

" _Us dating?" She continued, "you and me?"_

" _Why not?" He wondered out loud. There was something hidden in the depths of his eyes, the gilded color flooded with something she could not discern or tell. But it was like a beautiful storm. His features were dark and steeled, but his eyes were bright, giving light around the edges of his bangs that fell slightly over his brow. It was beautiful. For once in her life she was taken aback looking at him; she had never been one for ogling. Especially checking out Sesshomaru. This was different. Something was different. "Is not the point of all this for yourself and this Sesshomaru to become more acquainted? That is the definition of dating, is it not?"_

" _Yes but...but…" she was spluttering now, staring down at her knees for anything more interesting than the bizarre expression in the Goblin's eyes._

 _Suddenly, her friends melted away and the tables and people around them_ — _they faded and washed away like watercolor on wet canvas. They all disappeared until it was just her and Sesshomaru. When she looked up at him, he stood there in all his Inu might. His long hair draped down to the floor, and his kimono seemed as pristine as ever. His mokomoko and his armor pressed against as he pulled her up to him, wrapping his arms around her waist as he held her close. She couldn't protest; her voice had died in her throat long ago._

" _Are you not this Goblin's bride?"His nose brushed against her ear and there was a soft sigh in his tone. "You saw the sword in my chest."_

_The miko had never been speechless before, nothing had ever stunned her like this. He was being affectionate. Towards her! Sesshomaru was being affectionate!_

" _This one told you, ridiculous miko," he hugged her to him, protective and endearing. "Only the Goblin's bride can see his curse."_

 

The first thing Kagome noticed was that when she tried to open her eye, stick grime prevented her eyelids from blinking. It took her a few times to crack her eyelashes from her skin, the lashes feeling heavy as she did so. Her head hurt, and there was pain from her temples to her forehead to the areas surrounding to the bridge of her nose.

When she became fully aware of her surroundings, she realized she was in the car, with a angry looking man sitting beside her in the back seat while another thug-like man drove the vehicle. Understanding the situation, she remained still, making sure not to alert them that she had woke. It would be better for her to try and assess what was going on. She had been kidnapped enough during the feudal era to know that would be better than trying to go in guns blazing and demanding that she be released before her hanyou friend would come and rescue her. A pit in her stomach dropped at that. Hanyou friend. There would be no Inuyasha to rescue her this time. She would have to rescue herself.

Closing her eyes, she tried to think about the situation. Her hands had been shoved behind her back and tied together with what felt like a coarse leather belt. Her ankles had been similarly shackled. That was about it. It felt as though her coat had been searched, but other than that intrusion, she had not been violated in a sense that she had been afraid of. Likewise, observing other things, she came to notice that her mouth had not been gagged. That more than likely meant that her kidnappers wanted information from her the moment they knew she was conscious. She did not know the extent of her injuries, all she could recall was being hit upside the head with something hard. Perhaps a bat or a pipe? Whatever it was, with the force they used, it was a miracle they hadn't killed her. It may have caused a concussion being that she blacked out, but that was something at the current moment which was the last of her worries.

"Smart broad," the man next to her said, lifting his eyebrows slightly without looking at her. "You're faking unconsciousness at this point."

Kagome's blood froze and she felt her face grow hot.  _How could they tell?_

"Look we'll be nice to you if you comply," the drive stated, his eyes focused solely on the road. "To be honest we're not all that interested in you. So whether or not you come out alive, it's not a concern. Hence you help us, we don't do a thing."

She decided to continue pretending. Nothing worse could happen.

The kidnapper next to her took her silence as affirmation. "We're looking to get at Taisho, you see. He's a very powerful man with many, many enemies."

Snorting, the driver turned on his signal to make a right.

"Being that you're his lil' gal or whatever," the man sniffed, she could feel his eyes looking her up and down, "although I don't blame him. You're a real cutie. Anyways, being that you're his little gal, why don't you do what's good for you and answer our questions?"

 _I really don't know that much about him,_ she thought, squeezing her eyes shut tighter.  _I honestly haven't known him that long to begin with._

"Hey," he poked her side, a sharp sting shooting above her ribs. "I know you're not asleep."

"You never know," she finally answered, keeping her sights hidden behind shut eyelids. "Maybe the both of you are just bad dreams and I am just asleep."

"Hey, sister listen, if you don't answer our questions, we'll find some other way to get at Taisho," the driver warned, his eyes scanned the area before nodding.

The car came to a stop with screeching brakes. Putting the car in park, the driver unbuckled his seat and turned around. He had bright blue eyes and dark hair, seemingly prettier than her other captor. Not that would help her at the current moment.

"Sister, if you know what's good for you, you'll answer things about Taisho." He ran his thumb along his neck, "Or else."

She rolled her eyes, even though her heart sunk. It had never occurred to her how serious this was. But given how wealthy he always seemed, it didn't surprise her that he had enemies just like in the old days.

"Look you caught the wrong girl," she sighed, shrugging. "I'm just a normal high school student."

The two men exchanged looks before sighing tiredly.

"This was not how the night was supposed to go," the driver said before getting out of the car; he tugged on a pair of gloves before opening the back door.

The second man also pulled on a pair of utility gloves before climbing out of the car. Kagome watched them wiggling in her seat, trying to pull at her restraints before the man grabbed her hair and yanked her out of the car. She cried out, tears pricking at her eyes as pain laced through her scalp. Together the two men held her bringing her around front of the vehicle. She realized that they were at one of the few places where the Meguro river was not surrounded by houses or populace. It was dark out and the few people in the area probably weren't aware that they were even there.

Her thoughts went immediately to her mother, Souta and Jii-jii. Even Buyo. In just one moment, as they brought her over the guard railing that blocked the incline from the road down into the shallow river, she realized this may very well be the last time she could think about them. She would never see her family again, but this time she wouldn't be stuck on the opposite side of a well, she would be stuck at the end of eternity.

Opening her mouth, the miko tried to scream, but the driver covered her mouth. "It's nothing personal, miss. We just can't have you blabbing about this to anyone else. You know what happens to useless hostages."

 _Someone, please help me,_ she begged, squeezing her eyes shut.  _Inuyasha…_

A growl forced her to open her eyes. The streetlamps lining the streets began to flicker before a surge passed through all of them, forcing them to go out. Leaving complete darkness around her two captors save for the two beams of headlights from the car.

A set of two gold eyes appeared in the haze just in front of the headlamps before they broke into the light. The one man was the one she had mistaken for Inuyasha the other day, she was sure of it. It was the same red leather jacket he wore, and the same torn jeans and dirty black shoes. But this time his ponytailed hair was white and his eyes gold, making him seem even more like the hanyou boy. However, behind this man, was a trail of bright blue fire. For some reason it appeared horribly cold and frigid.

Beside him though, was a furious, raging Sesshomaru. Behind him were swirls of his lilac smoke and a sparks of violet fire. In his hand, a manifestation Bakusaiga was gripped tightly while he walked forward. His long military coat trailed in the breeze along with the short strands of his silvery hair. He raised his sword to show the men he meant business, the blade glowing bright green.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Leave a kudos and a review to let me know what you thought about this chapter<3


	18. Trying to Ransom Her

** Chapter Seventeen **

Needless to say, her two captors were scared out of their minds. Seeing the two inhuman beings shocked them to no end. Their grip on her faltered as they trembled almost as immobile as she. They could only stand and watch at the two men approached them. Kagome took this as a chance. She writhed around in their hold, screaming out.

"Sesshomaru!" She yelled, her eyes watering when her hair caught in the bands around her wrists.

There was an expression that she could not identify in his eyes. But the nerve above his temple twitched and she cold tell he was upset. The smoke around his body seemed to drift right off of him, as if he were burning now and nothing could stop his fire.

"Stupid broad somehow got Taisho right to us," the drive snarled, his teeth clenched. "We gotta get out of here."

With a nod, the other of her captors agreed. "We got to get out of here, man. Who knows what that guy will do. He's on freaking fire."

Suddenly, she was hoisted higher into the air and her heart rose to her throat, it catching and stopping any noise she could make.

"Remember, miss, it's nothing personal. Sure you're a nice enough kid," the driver stated flatly before he and the other man tossed her over the railing.

There was a loud "no" yelled by a voice that it wasn't her own—but surely it hadn't been the Goblin. She stared in disbelief at the sky that fell further and further away from her. Her mind raced at a thousand miles a second, faster than she fell. Tears poured from her eyes as she convulsed in the air, as if somehow moving would slow her descent. Kagome had not even realized it, but sobs were tearing past her lips, begging anyone and everyone who could hear her to find her, to save her before she hit the concrete brick at the bottom of the shallow water. She knew for a fact a fall and impact at that would not allow her to survive.

 _Mama, Souta, Jii-jii!_  She shrieked, her head tilting back as she could practically feel the ground almost right beneath her.  _This is it._

She expected pain. She expected the most mind-numbing experience of agony she would ever feel in her life other than that one time the witch paralyzed her to steal her soul to create clay-Kikyo. She expected a loud sound of her skull breaking against stone while innocent streams of water washed over her, dispelling any blood that may have broke forth from her body, excited to be released.

But that's not what happened. She stayed in mid-air, caught gently between two strong arms. Against her was a strong and firm chest, easing her and steadying her so that way she knew she had not fallen completely, that she had not hit the ground. The hands that cradled her clutched her tighter, as if trying to assure their owner that they had succeeded in retrieving her—safely, soundly.

Kagome could not stop her wails wracking her chest.

"Woman," the voice was shaky and unsure, and the arms held her tighter. "Woman you are safe, cease that incessant noise."

She looked up into the the golden eyes of Sesshomaru, his gaze unwavering as he stared down at her. The look in the gilded orbs was a curious one. As if inquiring why she was still upset if he had saved her. Casting his glance away, he looked upwards before leaping out of the trench where the river was in. He landed gracefully on the sidewalk, before setting her down gently on the ground so she could sit. Crouching down beside her, he undid the restraints on her hands and around her ankles. Watching her reactions carefully, he stood up and reformed Bakusaiga's manifestation in his hand.

"I will return in a moment," he responded, his eyes looking back down the road. "It seems as though the Shinigami is holding those two idiots at bay for this one."

"Wait," it was the first time she had talked to him since her rescue. "You won't kill them will you?"

He watched her with a raised brow but gave her no response other than a baritone ' _hn_ '. Walking away, he ignored her calls to him as he made his way to the parked vehicle. The Shinigami held the two men to the vehicle, pinning their heads against the the windows to keep them from moving. They were begging for him to stop, how much it hurt.

The Shinigami noticed his approach. "Oy Goblin, whaddya wanna do with these goons?"

Cocking his brow delicately, Sesshomaru dug Bakusaiga between the two men, skewering the vehicle.

The driver cried out, shamelessly weeping. "Please, please mercy, Taisho!"

"What were your motives for kidnapping the girl?" He demanded harshly, leaning down over the grim reaper's shoulder.

"We were just trying to ransom her," the other man bawled. "We had not had any leads on how to get at you in a long time! And then a girl showed up at your door! We thought she was yours!"

Humming, the Goblin pulled his sword from the car and looked caustically at the two. "You are lucky this one does not kill the two of you here. That girl desired to spare your life. You both shall wait here on this road where no one will find you. For three days this path shall disappear from the map. Be grateful that is the worst this Sesshomaru shall do."

As he began to walk away, the white-haired man slashed the tip of his sword through the two side tires of the automobile, his smirk showing just a bit. "Have fun, Shinigami. This one will be patient and wait for you."

The Shinigami smiled before nodding, returning his attention to the two men. "Now, which one of you bastards wanna forget what happened here first?"

Kagome sat dazed against the guardrail when he returned to her. She stared far off into the distance, her mind somewhere else. His lips tipping a bit in displeasure, Sesshomaru slid his jacket off his shoulders and rested it around her form. The jacket seemed to rest of her like a blanket, completely covering her shape. He had not realized that she was that much smaller than he. Was she really so delicate? Yet she had held such strength to be able to keep such a situation for the most part at ease before he was able to reach her.

"Woman," he said, crouching down before.

She blinked and finally gave him her attention, her brown eyes tired and bloodshot.

Holding out his hand, he nodded gently. "Come, this one and the Shinigami will escort you home."

"Home?" She echoed him.

 _Come back miko, this state does not suit you._  His gaze searched her before he tilted his head in affirmation. "You wish to see your family, do you not?"

With slow, lethargic blinks of her eyes, Kagome took his hand. He pulled her up with care, wrapping his arm around her waist to steady her. Had this been any other moment in his life he might have abhorred the idea of physical contact, however she was clearly unwell and needed support.

"Oy I left the assholes in the car," the Shinigami stated, wiping his hands on his leather jacket. "How the heck are we supposed to get anywhere if you made this road invisible?"

"It's not far from my home, quit your whining," Sesshomaru scoffed before leading them away. "We will stop at this one's home for a car and then drive the miko back to her home."

"Keh," the grim reaper snorted, crossing his arms.

Closing his hand tighter of Kagome, the Goblin lead their little group away. While the girl stumbled after him a bit, she did seem better. Less hysteric. That was a good first step. Honestly, instead of taking the first step now, he wished he had stepped out his door when he had felt her reiki when she had been at his house.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave a kudos and a review to let me know what you thought of this chapter<3 Thanks for reading lovelies!


	19. Late Night Tomodachi

**Chapter Eighteen**

Sturdy hands cupped the underside of her thighs while a firm chest supported her back. Her eyes fluttering open, Kagome realized that the Goblin carried her up the stairs to the shrine, his face expressionless as he did so. There was no noise coming from him other than the gentle rush of air rustling from his lips as he made their way up. Blinking, she didn't know what to say, or what she should do.

"This one will set you down at the top of the stairs, worry not," he grunted, refusing to look down to her.

"Did I fall asleep?" She whispered, blushing a bit.

"On the drive you did," he nodded before easing her feet onto the ground.

She landed easily and stood up without much trouble, only a bit of throbbing in her head to make her feel uneasy. Ready to thank for his trouble and bid him farewell, she was surprised when he took her hand and continued to lead her to the shrine house. They stood at the door and with a knock, he prevent Kagome from sneaking in.

She shot him a look with a small hiss. "You do realize I snuck out?"

"Hn," he answered with a roll of his eyes, reaching up to knock again. He did not need to however, because the door swung open and Mrs. Higurashi stood before them. There was an incredulous look on her face before relief washed over her. She reached forward and gathered her daughter into her arms. Hugging her tightly, the mother sighed in ease, holding her child closer as if afraid that she would disappear.

"I went to check on you," Mrs. Higurashi whispered, stroking the miko's long hair. "But you were gone. I had been so worried that you had…"

The mother cast a worried glance to Sesshomaru before shaking her head. "It was nothing but a silly worry."

"It was not an idle worry," the Goblin piped up, inclining his head. "This one is aware now of your daughter's peculiar and previous traveling situation. Hence why I tried to return her immediately."

"How did he know?" She looked down at the girl in her arms.

"He's a youkai from that time," Kagome answered with a bashful look. "I went to ask him something."

"A youkai from that time," the mother echoed before pulling away from her daughter. Opening her arms, she gestured for the Goblin to welcome himself into the home. "Please, let me make you some tea."

"This one would be grateful for the drink," Sesshomaru nodded, before following the two women into the house.  _The Shinigami can always leave the vehicle if he becomes too impatient for me._

The Higurashis helped him settle in on the tatami mat, bringing him a lap table to set in front of him. Once Mrs. Higurashi left to boil the kettle and brew the tea, the daughter remained with him, seated across from him so that they could see each other properly. Her eyes did not reach his, always falling to the floor each time again when she would try to look.

"Is there a problem miko?" he finally demanded, giving her an irritated glare when she looked down again for the umpteenth time.

"No there's nothing wrong," she answered with a jittery and startled look.

With a hum, he began to stand, deciding to retrieve his shoes from the front and leave. "This one is sorry if he has made you uncomfortable."

Without another thought, Kagome reached forward and grabbed the hem of his jacket. "No please…"

He stopped at her petered words and looked down at her curiously.

"I just can't...believe that you've done all of this for me," she murmured, looking away from him. "It's a bit for me to process, but...thank you, Sesshomaru."

"You have caught this one's interest, Kagome," he answered, sitting down slowly again, watching with an amused smirk as she was taken aback at the use of her name. "This Sesshomaru was more than glad to aid you."

With that they both quieted, content to just enjoy the company of one another. Mrs. Higurashi stepped in then, with a tray of green tea and a platter of soft cookies. She placed it on the lap table, a cup for each of them and the plate in the center before sitting down herself. Her guest and her daughter each took a sip from the mugs, careful and tedious. She couldn't help but giggle to herself. On the other side of the well, they must have been such good friends for the man to have taken care of her daughter.

"Have you lived long here in the city, Mister?" She asked.

"Taisho, will do, Kagome's mother," he responded, gracefully placing his mug back down. "This one has lived in Nakameguro for close to fifty years now. I recently moved to my current home thirty years prior to now."

"Recently, oh my," she laughed, resting her cheek on her palm. "Time certainly must pass for you youkai differently, right, Mr. Taisho?"

There was a pained look on the Goblin's face before he gave a stiff nod. "It is different."

Kagome cringed, forgetting that one particular detail about her new found friend. "Uh, anyways mama, Sesshomaru should probably be getting back home soon, he's got his tenant in the car."

"Oh my! Should we have let him in?" the motherly worry across the woman's face endeared the white haired male greatly.

Shaking his head, the Goblin almost laughed. "My tenant shall be able to take care of himself should the need arise. He will most definitely be fine, Kagome's mother."

"Mrs. Higurashi is just fine dear."

"This will address as he has been. You deserve the respect for upbringing a good young daughter."

The older woman flushed slightly. "Th...thank you."

Again, bringing himself to his feet, Sesshomaru gave a slight bow at the waist. "This one, will take his leave now. It is a late hour of the night and Kagome has school tomorrow, does she not?"

"She does," Mrs. Higurashi agreed.

"I'll see you out Sessh," Kagome said softly, looking for her mother for affirmation.

She waved the two of them off. "Please return any time, Mr. Taisho. I'm glad Kagome has found a friend from that time here."

 _A friend._ The Goblin couldn't help the gentle upturns of his lips as he gave a gracious dip of his head. "This one is pleased as well. Until next time, madam."

Together, both the miko and the male walked out of the house to the front door. They made their way silently to the enormous stairs that led down the the street where his car awaited him. It felt strange when both of them tried to break the silence. The word "friend" spoken by the mother had left them in an odd mood. Was that how they were perceived? As such good acquaintances that they would be deemed friends. How bizarre.

 _But then again,_  Sesshomaru thought, watching as the girl tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.  _Being friends with such a strange creature would not be entirely displeasing to one such as I._

"Sesshomaru, before you leave, may we go to the wellhouse?" Kagome asked suddenly, her gaze reaching his with some steeled determination.

"This one sees no reason not to," he answered before leading the way. "Is there something you wish to discuss?"

"Not in particular," she answered, following him closely.

With a bob of his bangs, he left it at that. He would not pry. A Goblin such as he would never stoop to prying. If someone wished for their privacy, someone respectable anyways, they deserved at least that much.

He slid the door open and they both stepped in, looking down at the dark object that could hardly be seen in the black of nighttime. Neither one said a word, just stared at the faint outline of the well. It seemed as though, the moment they entered the small shelter, that all time had stopped. Perhaps it was both the lack of light and sound that led to this illusion. But, there in the quiet and the solitude, it felt as though it were just them in the world. Not even his curse. Just a miko and a youkai, enjoying a new companionship that would have been forbidden in any other circumstance. And yet, here they were. Under such different terms as well, compared to the first time they had stood there in the same spots.

"I'm glad I found you Sesshomaru," Kagome finally said, her lashes fluttering as she turned to him a warm smile on her face. "It had been horrible and lonely by myself. And yeah, the kidnapping today wasn't fun because someone just had to decide to be a super rich guy here."

He gave her an mirthless chuckle.

"But, you saved me then too. You and the Inuyasha lookalike."

Ah yes, that was a problem. The person renting a room in his house. That was certainly a problem now.

"It's not so lonely anymore," Kagome continued, looking at the hand that he had held earlier.

"This one is glad," his voice was distracted as he looked out of the door back towards the way of the car. "It's not so lonely being dragged into such instances as these because of you."

"I'm not sure if that was an insult or a complement," she giggled.

He did not answer her, his brow furrowing as he seemed lost in thought. His gold eyes deepened in color and his forehead formed small worry wrinkles. Those things happening, she could tell something was off.

"Is something wrong?" the miko murmured, worried that she had something wrong.

"What do you think of him, the Shinigami?" Sesshomaru rumbled, his hand scratching his chin in thought.

"I think he looks deceivingly like Inuyasha." Kagome rubbed the back of her head, her eyes cast to their shoes. "In a discomforting way too much like Inuyasha than I would like for a coincidence."

"It is no coincidence, this one believes," he responded slowly. "Shinigami are made by men who had done corrupt things in their past. In return for malicious deeds, their memories of their past lives are erased and filled with a nothingness so that they may partake in their jobs without guilt or regret."

She looked at him suddenly, not liking how the topic of this was turning. "What are you saying?"

"Inuyasha helped commit the act of exile under the pretense of murder," the Goblin sighed, "towards this one. Remember? It could be very likely, the deities took his action and punished him since it was not made out of entirely evil intent."

"No," she breathed, thinking back to the first moment she had met the strange person on the street.

"As this Sesshomaru has thought for some time," he sighed, resting his observations on the well. It was the easiest thing to look at. A thought of a well did not make him mad. "That Shinigami may very well be the hanyou. Because he was not entirely evil, and not in his sane mind, the deities may have chosen to make him a Shinigami instead of banishing his soul. Because he was hanyou, they may have taken pity on him, and made him such."

Kagome followed the line of his sight to the well, her lip trembling in disbelief.  _Would those above be so cruel to someone who had suffered so much?_

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience! Have an update!<3


	20. The Tear in his Eye

**Chapter Nineteen**

Grunting, Shinigami kicked the door of the car open with a string of grumbled curses. How dare that bastard leave him in the car for so long without coming back. Well if that was how the Goblin wanted to play it, then fine whatever. He would just go home first. Let the moron deal with the chick anyways. The almost-deity was so suave anyways, he probably had the whole situation under control. Fuming, he slapped his cap onto his head, feeling a shiver up his spine while his hair turned the dark color, and his abilities to see dulled a bit when his eyes gained their "human" appearance and he lost the glow to his natural gold ones. He stuck his hands into the pockets of his red leather jacket as he walked down the sidewalk, his thoughts as unamused as his personality.

Never did he think he would be so annoyed at another being like him. Afterall kindred spirits stay together right? And he and the asshole Sesshomaru were definitely types of spirits. But it was the unending arrogance of the older creature that bother him to no end. He was smug and proud and it made him so incredibly unbearable.

Trudging down the sidewalk, the Shinigami wondered if he should just make the walk to Nakameguro, which in all honesty wasn't that far of a go, or if he should just teleport. It was much harder for him the poof from one place to another, unlike his Goblin counterpart who could just walk through any door, but he did have the capability to travel freely. He just needed to make sure that the energy was saved and there for him to draw upon. If he drew on too much of it, he would have to wait for the reserves to recharge before he could jump from place to place again. With that thought, he found it more agreeable to just make the stupid walk. And the train system was an automatic no-no. He hated the thought of touching people or people touching him. The last thing he wanted at this time of night was to see some sap's future or how they would die.

Solitude was not a bad thing for him. In fact, at times he much rather preferred it. He did not have to worry about people letting him down or anyone getting in his way. So he figured not having to deal with the Goblin or the car ride back home was genuinely a blessing in disguise of him having to take extra cardio. It wasn't that he did not like exercise, in fact he found himself quite keen about running, but he really just wanted to be in bed watching the newest episode of Gintama. Instead he was wandering the streets, wondering which grim reaper's territory it was because he had yet to enter his own—he and another Shinigami (he didn't know who per-se, just one of his underlings) shared the area of Tokyo. It would be bad if his meandering was to be presumed as trespassing.

Not that his underlings would question him—but it would be bad manners and he did have some decorum to uphold.

The sound of fireworks drew his attention immediately and even put him on edge. As he turned, he realized he stood adjacent from the sidewalk in front of what seemed to be a school. They must have been having some sort of festival. Tipping his head to the side, he walked through the gates of the school following his nose. More often than not these sorts of events had plenty of food, and he was plenty hungry. His feet followed the trail his nose pursued tempted by the scents of takoyaki, fried rice, and most importantly fresh ramen. Now there was something that he felt more than willing to go after at ungodly hours of the night. It was bad enough the bastard Sesshomaru had dragged him out of the house to go save that girl...not that he really minded. He was glad the idiot was okay. But ramen.  _Ramen_. That was something he would risk his life for anyday. Nothing beat the selection of noodles, the savory smell wafting from the cup, or the way the broth warmed the back of his throat and his stomach as he drank it down.

"Would you like a bowl, sir?" A girl asked eagerly once the Shinigami stopped in front of the desired stand.

"I wouldn't be standing here otherwise," he snorted reaching into his pocket to see if he could dig out any spare change. "Surprise me on what I get."

"Four hundred yen," chirped the girl as she began to assemble a small bowl for him around in the stand.

Dropping the change onto the counter, the Shinigami looked around at the other stands while he waited. The ones directly behind him were for the most parts food stands as well, with a few stands for entertainment craftily placed among them. To his right, there was a stand selling smaller snacks like dango which attracted quite a few people—and mostly children at that. He kept his hands tucked in his pockets so there would be no mistaken touches, he would liked to avoid any possibility of him seeing someone's death before his dinner. Given that sort of sight, it would make him lose his appetite.

Turning his head to the opposite side, his eyes wandered the stall. Unlike the others, it was neither a food stall nor a games stall. But instead, it was a wares stall. Assortments of goodies and other small tokens that were not at all expensive. His brown eyes searched for anything that might have been more than a meager fair gift. He had all but given up when the glint of fire from the cooking wares in the stall before him caused a glitter in the good's stall to catch his attention. Re-evaluating what was to his side, he took in all the goods again.

And then he paused.

A small shell, not much bigger than what might be a coat button, sat in a small dish with other sorts of jewelry. It was pale in color, with a rough texture around the grooves. Really, there was nothing all that interesting about the sea-shell other than it was a case rather than just a mere shell. Sitting in the center of it, what he thought might have been a ring or some odd bobble or ends was actually a small bit of red makeup. From the smooth texture, and the little shimmer that it gave off from the warm light of the festival—it looked like a sort of lip balm or lipstick. Leaving his jacket pockets, his hands reached out as if to touch the small item, his eyes felt glassy and he could feel pain from somewhere deep in his chest. It clenched at his chest, tugging at his lungs and his ribs until he felt his diaphragm heave. He wanted to vomit.

"Isn't a lovely color, mister?" A boy asked, sweeping his auburn colored hair from the sides of his head as if he were trying to look cool. "I'm sure any girlfriend would like such a trinket. That is if you have a girlfriend."

The Shinigami didn't answer. His hands paused mid-air, reaching and yet not touching. What was happening? What was this feeling? It hurt. It tugged and pulled at his consciousness, the way his heart drummed in his chest, as if a stone had replaced the beating organ so that it felt as though the round rock rolled and tumbled through the shelves within him that made him who he was.

"Do you want to buy it sir?" The boy in the stall persisted.

He was so close, all he had to do was inch his fingers just a little bit closer, and the shell would be in his hold. Would it feel better? If he prayed, would the pain go away once he held the seashell?

As he decided to move, slender fingers reached out and took the shell, pulling it away from the jewelry holder to inspect the color more carefully.

Turning his head to look at the person who took the makeup item, the Shinigami prepared to scold them from disrupting him. However...he could not open his mouth. He found his tongue glued to the bottom of his mouth, and his lips sealed shut and dry.

Time stopped. It ached. Because there was nothing as cruel as the lost memories within the time he had once been susceptible to.

"Do you have a problem with me?" The woman asked, her narrow brown eyes glanced over him while her eyelashes fluttered up, brushing against the tips of her raven bangs.

He could not answer as he looked at her, his voice all but gone and lost.

"I don't care who buys it but will someone please?" The boy in the stall uttered, crossing his arms, before to himself quietly uttering. "But both of you will pay the price anyways. So it doesn't matter to me."

"Sir, do you have a problem?" The woman demanded again, her soft pink lips a surprising contrast against her porcelain colored skin.

The Shinigami's voice whispered past his lips without his knowledge, without his control. "That color...It would look beautiful on you."

_And the tear_

_in his eye_

_rolled down his skin._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter was very overdue so I'm very sorry about that!
> 
> I honestly, am quite traumatized by something that happened to me on the original FF site long ago, and since then I've always been scared to post stuff about outside things from my stories. I'm even scared to post my stories. But here i am, somewhat sane but no less scared. I hope you all enjoyed this update...once I got over my fear a bit, it was enjoyable for me to. And that's what I hope I can do, with this story, bring back the joy that I have in writing Fanfics, as well as having you all, my lovely readers enjoy them as well.
> 
> Now, for the important part, I am starting a doujinshi for this fanfic on my deviantart under JafndaegurCAMBRIA. So if any of you would like to check it out, just look it up. It's only two pages in, but i'm having fun drawing the panels and practicing my art. If you have any suggestions for that! feel free to PM me:)
> 
> Finally thank you for sticking with me and reading this story...I...cannot possibly express how much that makes me happy. So...arigato mina:) see you for the next chapter


	21. First Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone reading and reviewing this story! It makes me so happy!

**Chapter Twenty**

Kagome's mother walked into her daughter's bedroom, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Sweetie, wake up, time fo—" Mrs. Higurashi paused, watching with astounded brown eyes as her daughter was already up and about, rummaging through her closet for her school uniform.

Tilting her head to the side, Kagome nodded her head. "Don't worry mama, I'm up already."

The older woman stared, unsure of if her daughter was feeling okay. She looked over the teenager skeptically. For the past two years, her daughter had yet been able to get out of bed herself. It had been as if the loss of the well had caused her to lose the will to troop through the day, to make her own path on her own. Her daughter's words of 'I'll be right down for breakfast' rushed past her and she found that she wasn't paying attention as she returned to the kitchen. Mrs. Higurashi could only think of two things. Something either happened last night between Kagome and the youkai Mr. Taisho, or Mr. Taisho's presence in their time had given her daughter a boost to try and trek on—to move on from the memories of time travel and hanyou boys. The mother wasn't sure whether to be grateful or concerned.

With a sigh, Kagome let her hands fall to her sides once her mother left. A soft shaky sigh fell past her lips. Walking to the bathroom, she looked in the mirror to try and see how bad the damage was. Her hair was a mess and the dark circles that ringed the skin under her eyes looked horrible. Groaning, she slouched a bit, wondering if a quick fix with makeup would be able to hide the results of her sleepless night. In all honesty should have slept well, mostly because she lived. Her heart still beat in her chest and the fact that she was still breathing helped. She was not lying crumpled and broken at the bottom of the Meguro river, but instead every ounce of blood still ran through her veins. Safe. Safe in her room, her home. And, the crazy thing was, thanks to Sesshomaru—she could be grateful to be alive. But still there was a bit of terror that lay like a peach pit in her stomach. It had been so easy for those men to attack her and take her, and there was nothing she could do about it. Unlike the demons of the past where her miko powers would have made quick work of the offenders, she had been powerless to stop her own kidnapping.

The thought made her remember that time, back when she had first met Inuyasha. She had nearly forgotten. He had rejected helping, and she had been kidnapped by bandits. Still, despite barely knowing her, the hanyou had swept in and saved her...well he saved the jewel, but it was nice to think that he wanted to save her too.

Her hands clenched the porcelain countertop and her knuckles turned white. She hadn't realized it, but pinpricks of tears beaded at the corners of her eyes, and she thought back to her hanyou. She missed him—missed him so much she thought her heart might shatter. How had he always been there to save her? In every way, Inuyasha had been good to her, minus him sneaking off to see Kikyo, but she felt pity for him in that regard. The undead priestess had been his first love…

_Just as he had been mine._

Voices floated up from the kitchen and while Kagome could not quite make them out, she figured Sota had finally gotten up. Shaking herself a bit to wipe the nostalgia from her thoughts, she wandered to her closet and stripped off her pajamas to don her school uniform. She smoothed out the skirt, and made sure the button-up was neatly tucked in. Her fingers made quick work of the striped ribbon and tied it around her neck before pulling on the navy blazer. She returned to her restroom and brushed her teeth, combed through her hair, and applied a bit of powder to the darkened skin under her eyes. Giving a determined nod, she grabbed the black school satchel (a small part of her wishing it was a yellow backpack) and ran down the stair. Her feet bounded as she took each step, her hair bouncing off her shoulders as she did so.

There was the sound of chatting and pleasant laughter as she drew closer to the kitchen. So it definitely was not her brother, the voice sounded far more older and masculine. Had her mother been expecting company so earlier in the morning?

When she rounded the corner into the kitchen, Kagome paused, disbelieving.

Sesshomaru sat at the kitchen table, a hot cup of tea grasped gently in his hands. His facial expression was relaxed and his eyes were attentive. Mrs. Higurashi stood in front of the stove next to Jiijii while breakfast was cooking. The older woman was talking and every so often lightly chuckling, her hands plating omelettes, rice, and hotcakes. Her grandfather was watching the Goblin skeptically, sticking as close to the mother as possible.

Kagome watched the scene.

It was so normal.

He sat there.

Happy.

His lips were straight pressed but the light in his gold eyes told her he was amused. The way the sunlight filtered into the kitchen made everything seem so bright and colorful. Her mother had rosy cheeks. Her grandfather had color that made him seem younger. And Sesshomaru. He sat with the sun glittering off his silver hair, bouncing and casting shadows along his black blazer and brown sweater. His hands were gentle in the way they held his mug, the way the light glowed off the white ceramic made his fingers glow warmly, faint red outlines along his skin showing how close to him he was. As Kagome watch the scene, she felt her hand rest over her heart, overwhelmed. Her heart thudded faintly against her chest, fluttering happily. She loved the smile on her mother's face. And she loved the peace that seemed to rest on Sesshomaru. He had seemed so burdened the past few days.

 _Is it okay to move past a first love?_ She wondered shyly, a small grin spreading across her lips.

"Oh, Kagome!"

Just like that, the magic broke. The adults turned to face her and she realized what a silly expression she must have been wearing. With a sheepish scratch at the back of her head, she walked forward setting her bag down in the hallway.

"What a surprise," she laughed nervously, not entirely sure where to look. What in the world had she just been thinking?

"Mr. Taisho stopped by this morning to walk you to school, dear," Mrs. Higurashi smiled warmly, placing the food on the table as well as empty plates at each of the seats.

"Oh he did?" She asked, sitting down numbly at the table while looking at the Goblin.

"Hn," he nodded, taking a delicate sip of his beverage. "This one figured since you had been out to visit him last night, he would be courteous and accompany you to your morning walk. It is good to know you are an early and prompt student."

A red flush blustered across the bridge of Kagome's nose and she upturned it a bit, placing omelette and hotcakes on her plate. "Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be a timely student?"  _Oh Kami, why am I lying?_

He turned and looked at her, blinking coyly at her while Jiijii began to rant off about how excellent of a student his granddaughter was.

She couldn't decipher the look in his eyes, and his empty countenance did nothing to help her decide on what his look was telling her. But whatever it was, it was hypnotic. The way his eyelashes fluttered slowly mesmerized her. And there was a glitter in the honeyed depths of his glance, something knowing and mischievous. What was the old dog planning?

Huffing, Kagome thanked her mother for breakfast and began to eat, scarfing down the plate as her brother made his way down the stairs.

"Oh? Who's this?" He asked, sitting down at the across from the Goblin.

 _Oh that's right, they've never met before,_ Kagome thought, swallowing a bite of rice. She opened her mouth to make introductions.

Sesshomaru cut her off however, giving a slight incline of his head. "This one's name is Sesshomaru. I am a friend of Kagome's."

"Whoa," Sota oohed, giving a calculated look at the man. "You look cool. Are you a youkai?"

"In a sense," sniffed the white-haired male.

Kagome wondered if he was insulted by the question. She knew him losing his identity as a Inu daiyoukai was a bit of a blow to his pride. But he seemed to have taken the inquiry quite well.

"Just like big brother Inuyasha!" smiled the middle schooler, his grin widening.

Kagome shot up from the table, chair squealing. She walked over to her mother and place a quick peck on her cheek. Placing her plate on the counter, she began to return to the hallway, her hand reaching for her bag and her feet taking her to her school shoes at the front.

"Come on, Sesshomaru, if we don't leave now I won't be there in time."

She heard him thank her mother and grandfather for their hospitality, all the while bidding Sota an amiable good day. His footsteps padded along behind her.  _Thump-thump. Thump-thump._ The miko felt herself fluster as she listened to the sound that seemed to ring softly in her ears. That was his footsteps and not her heart, she hoped. There was no reason for it to be otherwise.

"See you all," she called out, stepping into her shoes and sliding the front door open.

"Have a good day sweetie!" Her mother called back before returning to scolding Sota about something.

"Thank you," Sesshomaru reiterated again, giving a slight bow at the waist before putting his shoes on as well and leaving.

They walked down the stairs together, neither one of them speaking as the Tokyo traffic and city life bustled around them. The Goblin placed his hands in the pockets of his jacket and kept his pace steady and easy as he followed the girl. She in turn held onto the straps of her bag with both hands, her eyes trained determinedly on the sidewalk in front of them. What was she supposed to say—perhaps thank him for last night. Although when she thought about it she wondered if she had did so last night. Should she do so again? It wouldn't be overkill if she did because he had saved her life. She squeezed the straps tighter.

_Why can't I find anything to say?_

"I do not mind the correlation to Inuyasha, miko," Sesshomaru finally said, his eyes giving a quick look to her. "It does not fill me with anger as it had in the past."

Kagome blinked in surprise, not expecting him to speak first. "You don't hate him...for everything that he did?"

"I do not," He decided carefully, his eyes paying attention at what was ahead of them. "While he was at fault for many things, he had no need to apologize for his nature. As for what he did to me, he was not in his own mind. He kept Rin safe. He made sure that she was alive. This one cannot loathe him for keeping my ward well. In some respects, the half-breed has this Sesshomaru's respect, even."

"Whoa," she breathed, "I...wasn't expecting that."

"This one seems to be doing a few things that you are not expecting, woman."

Tilting her head to the side, she felt a pout puff at her cheeks.  _Is he teasing me?_

Walking on, the silence settled among them again, however less awkward and less stifling. It was almost nice, the quiet companionship that he provided her. She knew that once she caught up to her friends' paths on the way to school, he would most likely leave her because of the loud chattering among them. But this gentle company that he provided her, it was almost reassuring. She didn't know why it was, or what exactly he was reassuring. Nevertheless, she found herself fond of it.

"Are you well?"

Again his voice was sudden and it startled her a bit as she returned her attention to him.

"The events of last night were entirely this one's fault, you have my sincerest apologies," he stated, voice low. "It is understandable, now that you know that this Sesshomaru has quite a few enemies as well in this age, should you desire to disassociate yourself with this one."

Her laughter broke his seriousness and he shot her a confused look at she giggle.

"That's not the first time I've been kidnapped before," she laughed, her hands rubbing at her cheeks. "And you saved me. That's all that matters."

Sesshomaru did not respond except for the hesitant 'hn' that rumbled from his chest.

"Besides, I have to help you find your bride, remember?" She poked his arm lightly, praying he wouldn't run her through because of the touch to his person.

However, he stared at her again, as he had during breakfast that morning. The look was surreal and deep. His eyes held both a sadness and a joy that she could not quite understand. He blinked and his hand reached forward. Kagome felt time stop as she watched him, she wondered what he was going to do. The beating of her heart sped up and she looked up at him, her eyes searching for the meaning in his expression as his hand extended to her.

"Kagome!" A high-pitched voice called out.

The Goblin's hand drew away quickly and the devoid look in his eyes returned. She let her sight linger on him for a moment before she turned to see her friends approach them. A small amount of disappointed filled her. She knew it was silly to feel that way, but...she had wanted to see what would have happened.

"If this one leaves you to your friends, would this be acceptable?" He asked, not entirely looking at her anymore.

"That's fine," she whispered, finding that her voice was dry and almost speechless.

"Would you like company on the way home?" He murmured, turning his gaze completely away from her.

"That would be nice."

"Then this one will wait for you at the gates once your classes have let out."

Sesshomaru walked away from her then, his figure disappearing into a shop as the telltale strands of lavender colored smoke drifted away from his body. It was so fast, his exit, that she hardly had time to watch him leave. But there was a clench in her chest and she knew the feeling. As her friends surrounded her, hounding her for questions about her companion, her eyes lingered on the doorway the Goblin had disappeared in, and allowed her thoughts to wander to the aching that she felts.

Would it be okay to move past a first love?


	22. Goblin to Goblin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The poem in this is a 18th-century piece written by Thomas Gray called "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard".

**Chapter Twenty-One**

_ The pain was unbearable. Sesshomaru could no longer bear it. The final lot had been pulled in regards to this new curse. He hated it. Loathed it. The blood in his body boiled as it coursed through him, the foreign sense of who he now was and who he had lost branding him. Shippo cried out as he stormed from the Western Palace, the damn strands of lilac incense twirling around him as he traveled. It had been two centuries since the deities had placed their punishment upon him—but still he did not know to what extent he had lost his demonic person. The powers themselves often confused and miffed him. _

_ At times he lacked the ability to control the newfound stipulations of the curse. _

_ It disgusted him. _

_ He felt like a pup, not capable of reining in himself in. _

There was no beastial instinct to guide him. The part that made him youkai was silent. Silent because he was gone. There was no youkai.

_ As he roared, his surroundings exploded into a conflagration of purple hues. The smoke twisting and twirling around him erratically. The tendrils threaded through his hair and his limbs, his entire body tangled in the web of his own making. He gasped when the smoke disappeared, leaving him behind in an open meadow.  _

_ The air nipped at his skin, his light kimono not suited for the chilled weather. His breath escaped his lips in puffs of frosted air. As he turned slowly, the tall field grass bent and waved around his legs, his white hakama like pillars of snow against the golden stalks. The sky glittered, bright baby blue. The air was fresh, almost icy—it tickled his dulled senses. A pang of nostalgia hit him, and wished he was still Inu. He would have been able to sort through each scent, identify the small nuances that made the smells unique. Each detail would have been able to figure out exactly where he was too. _

_ “Hey, trespasser, who are you?” _

_ The Chinese surprised him, taking but a moment for him to recognize the language as something closer to a western province’s dialect from Goryeo. Spinning around, Sesshomaru had not anticipated a intruder on his thoughts. Or this new place he had discovered. Before him was a man, perhaps just as tall if not a few inches shy of himself. The man’s black robes fluttered over his calves as he sauntered closer, his hands fisted at his sides. He did not answer the man. _

_ “Hey,” the man grunted, his brown eyes narrowing. “Answer me. I do not take kindly upon those who intrude.” _

_ Sesshomaru scoffed and began to talk away, not interested in bickering with a mortal human.  _ He was still above that.

_ A surge of power pushed past him, and the air behind him burst into blue flame. He stiffened as the aura pushed against his curse, forcing it backwards. Growling, he turned on his heel and released his power—it gushing in streams of his lilac smoke. The auras whipped around each other, causing the man’s black hair to swirl wildly, just as his own silver hair twisted and span about. _

_ Then, in an instant, the man’s power disappeared. He gave Sesshomaru a glance of disbelief. He stepped closer, his hands hiding clasped behind his back. _

_ “You...are you a dokkaebi as well?” _

_ In an instant, Sesshomaru’s power dissipated. He found it difficult to form the words to a language he was unfamiliar with.but nevertheless, he was able to form his own question. _

_ “What is a dokkaebi?” _

_ The man’s eyebrows raised and he took in his opponent’s state of dress and the heavy accent to the Goryeo language. So he tried Chinese, it was a wider known language on the mainland. It would be easier to communicate with, he believed. _

_ “A Goblin.” _

_ Sesshomaru tilted his head to the side, attention caught.  _

_ Humming, the man’s bright flames flared around his feet before climbing up, creating a halo of might around him. His right hand very slowly pointed to the center of his chest, just below his sternum. Another flow of aura rushed forward, it was gentler and laced with pain. A sword appeared, buried within the man’s flesh. _

_ “When God is displeased,” he stated, standing toe to toe with the newcomer. “He curses those who have scorned his most precious creation—life.” _

_ Sesshomaru’s eyes widened as the man’s power spread to him, lighting up around him as well. The blue flames jumped to his own chest, provoking his lilac smoke to appear, causing Bakusaiga to become visible. It was sunk in the same place as the man’s, deep within his chest. _

_ “My name is Kim Shin,” the man lowered his hand, the fire flickering out of existence along with the sights of the two swords. “Would you like some tea? There seems to be a lot of explaining needed, for the both of us.” _

_ Nodding slowly, Sesshomaru followed the Goblin as he led him away.  _

_ There was a small village not far from where they were. Although Kim Shin did not lead him there. He brought him to a small hut on the village outskirts, taking him inside. The inside was not as modest as the outside. There were various treasures from the mainland—small statues, painted pictures, and other assorted things to decorate the home. An older man greeted them, pulling out a few chairs for them while he peddled around. _

_ “Welcome home, my lord. Who is this?”  _

_ “A visitor. Could you fetch some of the tea that had been imported earlier today? The merchant said we could pick it up today.” _

_ The man left without another word, closing to the door to the hut silently behind him. _

_ “Were you human, before?” Kim Shin questioned, sitting down while gesturing for his guest to join him. _

_ “No,” came the clipped response from Sesshomaru as he sat down in the opposite chair. _

_ The man’s eyes widened a bit before he re-inspected his visitor. “I had presumed you had been cursed for a long time, given the color of your hair, but perhaps I was mistaken.” _

_ Sesshomaru did not answer. _

_ “How long have you been cursed?” _

_ The white haired male furrowed his brow, still not trusting of his host. “How long have you yourself been cursed?”  _

_ Huffing, Kim Shin crossed his arms. “You’re quite a stick in the mud aren’t you? Very well. At this current moment, I’ve come close to four centuries by now.” _

_ Humming Sesshomaru copied the Goblin’s movement, his arms folded neatly over his chest. “Were you human?” _

_ “Yes.” _

_ “You’ve lived far longer than you were supposed to.” _

_ “I’ll take that as an insult,” sighed the Goblin. “I want nothing more than to die.” _

_ Rolling his eyes, Sesshomaru tilted his head back. “Two centuries thus far.” _

_ “I’m your senior, then,” Kim Shin stated in surprise. “I presumed you to be far older than myself.” _

_ “Don’t be foolish, I far exceed your current age.” _

_ “So what are you?” _

_ There was a darkness that stormed over his brow when he thought about it. He had lost everything in regards to his identity of a daiyoukai. Everything that had once made him, gone. Snarling he refused to look at the man. _

_ “I am Sesshomaru. Nothing more, nothing less.” _

_ o _

_ A week had passed in his observance of Kim Shin. The Goblin moved about in silence most of the time. He would disappear in and out of the doorway, a trail of his Goblin’s fire in a quick flick of sight before traveling elsewhere. Other times the man would go down to the village. Helping the people down there, he would often use his abilities to aid them in some shape or form. Other times, he would bring about justice, inflicting pain and punishment upon those who wronged the innocent. _

_ How self righteous did this man think he was? _

_ But Sesshomaru watched. Intrigue always piqued when it came in concern to the Goblin. The way his powers worked, the once daiyoukai was more than sure that he was what Kim Shin was. Together they shared this mysterious curse. _

_ “How does this one break the curse?” Sesshomaru demanded one night, sitting in the corner, glaring at the Goblin. _

_ Kim Shin raised his head in surprise, his hand stopped in mid-motion over a journal. “The curse?” Ink splattered from the quill in his hand to the page beneath it. _

_ “Yes, there must be some way to rid this Sesshomaru of the deities’ curse.” _

_ “If you find it let me know,” the Goblin shook his head, returning his attention to writing. _

_ Sesshomaru demanded. “You have not found such a way? You in all your supposed might? You waste your resources in helping the stupid humans of this village instead of trying to free yourself of the gods’ hatred.” _

_ “There is a way to break the curse, but I have yet to find it in all this centuries. I doubt I will ever find it.” Kim Shin slammed his fist down at the table, the quill snapping at the impact between the hard service and the tightened vice of his grasp. “So I do not waste my time searching for a fairytale. Instead, I make amends for the wrongs that I am paying for. I please the people who I deem worthy. Granting them help. Granting them their wishes. Because for my lack of that in my human life, I ended up the way I am now.”  _

_ Gold eyes narrowed and speculated. Without a word, Sesshomaru stood up and exited through the front door, his lilac smoke gasping behind him as he disappeared. _

_ o _

_ Sesshomaru did not return. _

_ o _

_ When Kim Shin woke a month from the incident, Sesshomaru was once again in the corner of his house. _

_ “What is this impossible cure?” He asked, voice quiet. _

_ The Goblin groaned in disbelief, rubbing his eyes and begging the question of why he had to deal with this so early. “Why do you wish to know so bad?” _

_ Eyes cast upwards at the roof, the silver haired male drew in a small intake of breath. “Before this, I was not human. This Sesshomaru was a daiyoukai, something translatable as a great demon.” _

_ The other said nothing. _

_ “I was cursed because this one had been cast into a pocket of nothingness. A envelope of hell. When this Sesshomaru emerged, I emerged as a Goblin. This one wishes to return to the form of his previous identity. His true self.” _

_ There was silence before a quiet uttering: “You will not gain your form back, Sesshomaru.” _

_ The former Inu leapt to his feet in an instant, his hand grabbing and clenching the collar of the man’s tunic. _

_ “Explain,” he snarled through clenched teeth. _

_ “If your curse is ever broken, if you are anything like me,” Kim Shin growled through gritted teeth. “Then your curse can only be broken by a Goblin’s Bride. Only she can pull the sword from your chest. And if she does, that is when you are freed—and returned to the deity’s side.” _

_ There was no answer. Only a space where Sesshomaru had stood. _

_ o _

_ “Shin.”  _

_ Sesshomaru’s voice was sudden, causing the Goblin to look up in shock. He had been trying to plow a field with several of the villagers. Trying to find a way to break through the permafrost to grow some sort of grain—anything that would survive the cold winters. If they couldn’t figure out how to cultivate something, they would require livestock. Bartering and trading goods for food from the far south would no longer be an option. _

_ “Yes, trespasser?” Kim Shin was in no mood for the silver-haired Goblin’s temper. And judging by his human companions’ reactions, they were frozen with fear of the intimidating demeanor of the cold faced being.  He sat back on his heels, resting his muddied hands on his thighs. _

_ There was a quirk of a delicate eyebrow, before Sesshomaru pulled back the sleeves of kimono and tied them. He rotated his arm slowly, stretching the muscles until they loosened. With a nod of satisfaction, he stalked over to a villager. The man quaked, his hands trembling when the tall, silver haired male yanked a plow from his grasp. Sesshomaru shot the man a harsh look before setting the tool in the ground and pushed it forward. He began making trenches—much to Kim Shin’s and the villagers’ surprise. He did so wordlessly. And he did so with nothing but a blank expression. _

_ But there was a light in his eyes, Kim Shin noticed. There was a light in the other Goblin’s eyes that had not been there before. _

_ o _

_ “I’ll be leaving soon.” _

_ Sesshomaru gave a quick raise of his brows before disregarding the statement. He licked the corner of his thumb and turned the page to the article he was reading. It was a poem brought by an English traveler: _

 

The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, 

        The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea, 

The plowman homeward plods his weary way, 

        And leaves the world to darkness and to me. 

 

Now fades the glimm'ring landscape on the sight, 

        And all the air a solemn stillness holds, 

Save where the beetle wheels his droning flight, 

        And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds; 

 

Save that from yonder ivy-mantled tow'r 

        The moping owl does to the moon complain 

Of such, as wand'ring near her secret bow'r, 

        Molest her ancient solitary reign. 

 

Beneath those rugged elms, that yew-tree's shade, 

        Where heaves the turf in many a mould'ring heap, 

Each in his narrow cell for ever laid, 

        The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep. 

 

The breezy call of incense-breathing Morn, 

        The swallow twitt'ring from the straw-built shed, 

The cock's shrill clarion, or the echoing horn, 

        No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed...

_ “Will you watch them for me Sesshomaru?” Kim Shin’s eyes were sad, burdened and broken. “I will return in two decades time.” _

_ “Why must you leave in the first place?” Sesshomaru demanded, never taking his eyes from the page. _

Let not Ambition mock their useful toil, 

        Their homely joys, and destiny obscure; 

Nor Grandeur hear with a disdainful smile 

        The short and simple annals of the poor. 

 

The boast of heraldry, the pomp of pow'r, 

        And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave, 

Awaits alike th' inevitable hour. 

        The paths of glory lead but to the grave.

_ “I was but a human,” His gaze rested on the floor between his feet, and his arms hung limply by his sides. His shoulder length hair was wry and a mess, the shadows of his bangs obscuring the dark circles under his eyes. “I am no longer. It hurts me to see them, the ones I have helped and nourish, pass on. So I leave, every twenty years. And when I return, there is new ones. My old memories gone. I do not wish to see them go.” _

_ “Coward.” _

_ “Perhaps so. But this is my choice. Besides, we do not age Sesshomaru. The times of superstition has passed. There is war in the south—they call them the Colonies. With technology that I have faced before. Face it. They will become suspicious of me, at least. You have only been here a year. They will not suspect you. When I return, claim me as your cousin.” _

_ Kim Shin reached forward and clasped Sesshomaru’s shoulder. “I have claimed you as  my heir. What you earn in my time gone, it is yours to keep. Build up a fortune. I have a feeling it will come in handy.” _

_ “Don’t leave.” He wasn’t begging. He was demanding. _

_ But the black haired Goblin was unfazed. A small amused smirk plastered on his jaw. He opened his mouth— _

_ And screamed.  _

_ He fell to the ground. His body convulsed. Kim Shin’s eyes poured tears as his body ignited in pain. In the fuzzy glimpses of his vision, he could see his sword glowing eerily, lighting the home with blue fire. _

_ “Shin!” _

_ Sesshomaru knelt beside the Goblin, trying to hold him still. He reached his hands forward and pressed the man’s shoulders to the ground, trying to keep his spasms contained. Kim Shin gasped out in pain. A loud crackle of sound broke through the air, and the apparition of the sword in the Goblin’s chest vanished. It left them in the dark, the candles blown out because of the sweep of power that had gusted through the hut. _

_ Chest heaving, Kim Shin closed his eyes, trying to ignore the tears that laced his eyelashes and trickled onto his skin. “Find your Bride, Sesshomaru, otherwise this will happen to you as well.” _

_ o _

_ The next morning, Sesshomaru was left alone, with nothing but his poem to read.  _

For thee, who mindful of th' unhonour'd Dead 

        Dost in these lines their artless tale relate; 

If chance, by lonely contemplation led, 

        Some kindred spirit shall inquire thy fate, 

 

Haply some hoary-headed swain may say, 

        "Oft have we seen him at the peep of dawn 

Brushing with hasty steps the dews away 

        To meet the sun upon the upland lawn. 

 

"There at the foot of yonder nodding beech 

        That wreathes its old fantastic roots so high, 

His listless length at noontide would he stretch, 

        And pore upon the brook that babbles by. 

 

"Hard by yon wood, now smiling as in scorn, 

        Mutt'ring his wayward fancies he would rove, 

Now drooping, woeful wan, like one forlorn, 

        Or craz'd with care, or cross'd in hopeless love... 

_ o _

_ Sesshomaru wiped the sweat from his brow, watching carefully as another villager tacked on more shingles to a hut. When the villager had finished, he waved down to Sesshomaru, giving the signal. Nodding, with the help of two men—although he really didn’t need it—Sesshomaru hefted a large beam against the side of the hut, having it standing beneath the roof and against the wall like a pillar. Extra support. _

_ “Sesshomaru, there’s a stranger here saying he’s looking for you!” A boy shouted from the hill, his little arms and legs pumping as he ran down the way. “He’s dressed funny! Like you!” _

_ “Can you take care of this well enough?” Sesshomaru questioned the two men, straightening out the ties on his hakama and pulling his kimono back onto his shoulders. _

_ The men gave affirmation and gestures of good luck before returning to their work. _

_ Following the directions that the boy had given him, the once-Inu found his way back to his temporary home. A man with pulled-back black hair stood there, his hands in the pockets of a green long-tailed coat, his white trousers tucked into his leather boots. Somehow though, his profile seemed familiar. _

_ “May this one help you?” He questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. _

_ “Yes,” the voice rumbled, turning around to reveal a smug smile and tired eyes. “My name is Kim Shin, and I am looking for my cousin.” _

_ Rolling his eyes, Sesshomaru clasped arms with the other Goblin, his gold eyes alight with mischief. “This one is sorry to say that I was not expecting any family. Certainly no one as ugly as you.” _

_ “Absolutely disrespectful to a senior,” Kim Shin shook Sesshomaru’s hand before pulling away, his semi-playful tone dropping. Reaching down, he picked a parcel off the ground and handed it over. _

_ Sesshomaru took the gift with an hesitant reach. Opening the cloth folds, he looked inside to see a red hakama. It was old and faded. The cloth was torn as well. It looked as if it had been recently washed. _

_ “I bought this at an auction in an island across the sea from China. Japan.” Kim Shin scratched the side of his head slowly. “There is a war there, with looters roaming almost unchecked. When I heard the legend of the owner to clothing, I wondered if it was you. They said this cover belonged to a man that killed his brother, a powerful demon who wanted to rule the world.” _

_ Shakily, he drew out the robe of the firerat. _

_ “Go home, Sesshomaru.” Kim Shin hummed thoughtfully. “Go to the home that needs you. Go home, go find your Bride. It’s your turn to leave.” _

_ Looking down at the mistreated haori, Sesshomaru wondered what had become of Tessaiga and Tenseiga. He had left everything with Shippo.  _

_ o _

The sound of beeping awoke the resting Goblin. He hummed deeply in his chest before his eyes fluttered open. Pale couches and a large frame tv greeted his sight. That’s right.

He had fallen asleep while he was waiting to pick up Kagome from school. Reaching over and silencing his phone, he stretched out. It had been a long time since he had thought of his fellow Goblin. In a vague fancy, he wondered if Kim Shin was alive and doing well, or if he had finally found his own Bride and had passed on. Checking his clock, he grabbed his coat resting on the armrest next to him and began to leave.

It was strange to think, that perhaps Shin’s love for humans had rubbed off on him. 

That was why he continued to pursue after the young miko afterall. That and the hope that he too might find the end to his curse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oiii, minna! I live! I have provided a super long chapter today (albeit it's not my greatest work) but i am trying to get back into the groove of this story. This chapter was to make up for my lack of updates as well as to indulge my curiosity of what would happen in Kim Shin (the Goblin that this fic is based off of) and Sesshomaru met. I hope you all enjoyed it and see you next time!
> 
> Arigato!


	23. Familiarity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oiiii minna! Here's just a quick little update for you all...it's mostly fluff but there is some plot in there if you squint. I just finished watching Goblin again, and I've got a few ideas for this fic, so look forward to future updates!
> 
> Thanks for reading! If you're feeling generous, please leave a review~ Arigato gozaimasu!

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Kagome hadn’t expected the Shinigami to be awaiting her when school let out. However, the man stood there, hands in the pockets of his red leather jacket and his head bowed. Swallowing slowly, she wasn’t sure if she should approach him or not. Sesshomaru had said that he would come pick her up but the Goblin had yet to appear. Had he sent the doppelganger instead? Had something come up? Her heart pounded in her chest when the familiar brown eyes stared up at her. 

The grim reaper scoffed. “Oy wench, you’re out finally.”

There was a small bubble of laughter that burst from her mouth when she heard that oh-so familiar greeting. She walked toward the Shinigami. Her heart knew that this was not Inuyasha, or if it was, it wasn’t  _ her _ Inuyasha. She had resolved to leave her first love behind. Not because she didn’t love him anymore, or because she wanted to forget him. But she had been holding onto his hand for so long, that it was time to walk on her own. It was as if the memory of him, her Inuyasha, waved and watched her on.

The Shinigami stepped up to her, looking down at her. “I’ve been waiting out here. Took ya long enough to get out.”

“It’s not like I have a say,” she smiled. “Is there something that I can help with? It was awfully nice of you to stay and wait for me, but Sesshomaru’s coming to pick me up.”

“Keh, I don’t care much for that bastard.” the grim reaper crossed his arms. “But I gotta question for you.”

“I have a name, silly.” She felt a pang in her chest as an overwhelming tide of familiarity washed over her. “It’s Kagome, ka-go-me.”

He shooed her statement away like a fly. “Say, why did you and that dumbass Goblin call me Inuyasha?”

She blanched.

“I don’t remember squat of my past life.” He scratched the back of his head. “That’s the consequence of becoming a Shinigami. You don’t remember anything from when you were alive. But both you and him, you two assholes seem to know me... and if it’s a clue to what I used to be, who I used to be...”

Kagome clenched her hands, the nails on her fingers digging into soft palms. She wanted to run to him and hug him. Hold him as she spilled all of his secrets and every recollection she held of his life. But she knew, for the Shinigami, that was not the path for him. In the eyes of a miko, the way that his auras swirled around him like chains and threads—clouding his mind and heart—she knew that he had to remember on his own. And she hated it.

“It’s a simple mistake,” she laughed. “You both share the same face. It was an easy mix up.”

He frowned. “An easy mix up?”

“Shinigami.”

They both turned around to see Sesshomaru approaching them. With the wind sifting through his silver hair, and the tails of his blue coat while his eyes were hidden beneath a pair of sunglasses, Kagome realized just how dramatic the Goblin was. He was overkill. 

“Keh,” the Shinigami snorted and shoved past her. “I’ll see ya around, kid.”

“What no goodbye to this one as well?” Sesshomaru taunted the grim reaper as he stalked away with annoyed roll of his eyes.

“Sessh, be nice,” Kagome chided, “he was actually in a pretty serious mood.”

“I doubt that one can obtain any gravity in his demeanor,” the Goblin huffed, making his way before her. 

“He asked about why we called him Inuyasha at first.”

“Did you tell him the reason why?”

“No.”

He watched the conflict form on her face. “You did the right thing. He must figure things out for himself. That is the punishment the Shinigami have...or rather perhaps it is a blessing. The saying among their kind is that things are best left forgotten—it hurts them too much to remember the past sins of their life.”

“But he wasn’t evil, Sesshomaru.” She protested, looking up at him earnestly. “And neither were you. I don’t understand why there has to be any punishment, or blessings, or curses, or any of that. I don’t understand it at all.”

Blinking slowly, the Goblin reached out and gently brushed the tips of fingers through the fringes of her bangs. She froze, her eyes going wide at the sudden touch. His hand moved on its own accord. He gently sifted his fingers through her long locks, before patting the side of her head.

“You are far too kind, girl,” Sesshomaru murmured. “Far too kind for the burdens you see us bear to bother you. Far too kind to have to carry the burdens that weigh you down as well. But these are our burdens all together, Kagome. By God’s or the deities’ will...they are ours.”

“It’s not fair,” she whispered.

“It never is,” he hummed, resting his hand atop of her head. “But here this Sesshomaru is, willing to help you carry your burden. This one hopes that you would be willing to help carry his. And in turn, we will both help the Shinigami hold his own.”

“Sesshomaru.” She lifted her hand, the pads of her fingers brushing along his wrist. “You actually care.”

“This one does so on occasion,” he sneered.

Laughing, she pulled away from his touch, heart fluttering. “Oh wow. For a moment you sounded cool.”

“This one is always cool.” His chest huffed, and his brow quirked in a way that stated the comment miffed him.

Kagome shook her head, still giggling. “Are we going now?”

“Hn. Care to follow this one first? I have a few errands to run before I take you home,” he stated, extending his hand for her.

“Oh, you do know how to use proper pronouns after all!” She exclaimed playfully, taking his hold in her own.

“This Sesshomaru will leave you here.”

“And he’s back.”

Shaking his head, he tugged her along. “Come, let us leave before any of our squeaky friends leave the school.”

“They all have clubs!” Her sides felt like they would explode from laughing. “And  _ squeaky? _ ”

Sesshomaru offered her a smirk before running. He pulled her in tow, running back toward the school. He led her inside, swinging the door open and letting it slam behind them. Kagome continued to laugh, even as the surge of his power sent them spiraling to somewhere that she didn’t know.


End file.
